A Blazing Blue Destruction
by Icethroat21
Summary: Mistypaw, Stonepaw, and Mosspaw, kits of Bluefur, are now apprentices of ThunderClan, with Thistleclaw as deputy. How will they escape Thistleclaw's claws of death? Kin of the blue flame will form an even stronger flame, which will destroy the claws of blood once and for all...
1. Allegiances

**A Blazing Blue Destruction**

**Okay, I know there are already quite a few versions of "what if Bluestar had kept her kits?", but this isn't about what would have happened to just Bluefur. This is about what happens to ThunderClan afterwards; it's about what happens to her kits.**

**And for now, I've done the best I can with the allegiances but we all know that they are really hard to keep up with when you choose a random moment in the middle of the book. I've tried for ThunderClan, but I ended up having to make up some cats, as well as making up random descriptions for cats who didn't have one, for the other three Clans. Sorry, but it's really hard to keep up with the allegiances in BP. :(**

* * *

**Allegiances**

* * *

**ThunderClan**

**Leader: ****Sunstar—**bright ginger tom with yellow eyes

**Deputy: Thistleclaw—**gray tom with three darker legs, darker ears and tail, a white-tipped tail, white tinged around his muzzle, and spiky fur

**Apprentice, Mosspaw**

**Medicine Cat: Goosefeather—**speckled gray tom with pale-blue eyes

**Apprentice, ****Featherwhisker—**pale silvery tom with bright amber eyes, long whiskers, and a sweeping, plumy tail; apprentice to the medicine cat

**Warriors: Adderfang—**mottled brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

**Apprentice, Mousepaw**

**Stormtail—**blue-gray tom with blue eyes

**Apprentice, Stonepaw**

**Sparrowpelt—**big, dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

**Smallear—**gray tom with very small ears and amber eyes

**Thrushpelt—**sandy-gray tom with a white flash on his chest and green eyes

**Apprentice, Mistypaw**

**Robinwing—**small, energetic brown she-cat with a ginger patch on her chest and amber eyes

**Fuzzypelt—**black tom with fur that stands on end

**Speckletail—**pale tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**Dappletail—**dappled tortoiseshell she-cat

**White-Eye—**pale-gray she-cat with her left eye "clouded and sightless"

**Leopardfoot—**black she-cat with green eyes

**Patchpelt—**black-and-white tom with amber eyes

**Bluefur—**blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Apprentice, Runningpaw**

**Rosetail—**tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with a pinkish-orange tabby tail

**Lionheart—**big golden tabby tom with green eyes and thicker fur around his neck like a lion's mane

**Goldenflower—**pale-ginger she-cat with a torn ear

**Tigerclaw—**dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws and amber eyes; one of his ears is split in the middle in a deep V shape, and has a scar on the bridge of his nose

**Whitestorm—**large white tom with wide amber eyes

**Frostfur—**white she-cat with dark-blue eyes

**Brindleface—**dappled gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

**Apprentices: ****Mistypaw—**blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Stonepaw—**gray tom with amber eyes

**Mosspaw—**gray-and-white she-cat with green eyes

**Mousepaw—**small dusky brown she-cat with pale-yellow eyes

**Runningpaw—**swift, slender light brown tabby tom

**Queens: Swiftbreeze—**tabby-and-white she-cat with yellow eyes, mother of Willowkit, Spottedkit, and Redkit

**Kits: Willowkit—**very pale-gray she-cat with unusual blue eyes

**Spottedkit—**dark tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes, a white muzzle, white paws, white chest, black-tipped tail, a light brown tabby-striped tail, and a distinctive dappled coat; her eyes have circles of dark fur around them, and one is darker than the other

**Redkit—**small tortoiseshell tom with a distinctive ginger tail as red as fox fur, and amber eyes

**Elders: Larksong—**tortoiseshell she-cat with pale-green eyes

**Stonepelt—**gray tom

**Windflight—**gray tabby tom with pale-green eyes

**Poppydawn—**long-haired, dark red she-cat with a bushy tail, and amber eyes

* * *

**ShadowClan**

**Leader:Cedarstar—**very dark-gray tom with a white belly

**Deputy:Raggedpelt—**large dark-brown tabby tom

**Medicine Cat: Sagewhisker—**white she-cat with long whiskers

**Apprentice, Yellowfang—**dark gray she-cat with bright orange eyes

**Warriors: Brackenfoot—**pale ginger tom with dark ginger legs, father of Russetpaw and Sparkpaw, mate of Firetail

**Archeye—**gray tabby tom with black stripes and a thick stripe over his eye

**Hollyflower—**dark gray-and-white she-cat

**Apprentice, Antpaw**

**Cloudpelt—**white tom with pale-blue eyes

**Fawntail—**pale-brown she-cat with tabby-striped paws and amber eyes

**Apprentice, Sparkpaw**

**Whitestripe—**light brown she-cat with white stripes all across her back and pelt, sister of Fawntail, mother of Blackpaw

**Apprentice, Russetpaw**

**Firetail—**dark ginger she-cat with dark green eyes and a tabby-striped tail

**Apprentice, Blackpaw**

**Apprentices: Antpaw—**dark brown tom

**Sparkpaw—**pale-ginger she-cat with light gray paws and amber eyes

**Russetpaw—**dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Blackpaw—**white tom with jet-black paws

**Queens: Lizardstripe—**light brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and yellow eyes, foster mother of Brokenkit

**Kits: Brokenkit—**dark brown tabby tom with bright orange eyes, and a tail bent in the middle like a broken branch

**Elders: Featherstorm—**brown tabby she-cat

**Poolcloud—**gray-and-white she-cat

* * *

**WindClan**

**Leader:Heatherstar—**pinkish-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Apprentice, Applepaw**

**Deputy:Reedfeather—**light brown tabby tom

**Apprentice, Onepaw**

**Medicine Cat:Hawkheart—**mottled dark brown tom with yellow eyes

**Apprentice, Barkpaw**

**Warriors: Dawnstripe—**pale gold tabby she-cat with creamy stripes

**Apprentice, Ashpaw**

**Redclaw—**dark ginger tom

**Talltail—**black-and-white tom with a very long tail and amber eyes

**Apprentice, Morningpaw**

**Shrewfur—**pale-brown she-cat with green eyes

**Spottedtail—**long-haired white she-cat with a pitch black tail that has dark ginger patches on it, mother of Morningpaw and Applepaw

**Apprentices: Morningpaw—**tortoiseshell she-cat

**Applepaw—**tortoiseshell she-cat with a dark-ginger tail

**Ashpaw—**gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Onepaw—**small mottled brown tabby tom with amber eyes and a white muzzle

**Elders: Whiteberry—**small, pure-white tom

* * *

**RiverClan**

**Leader:Crookedstar—**huge light brown tabby tom with green eyes and a twisted jaw

**Deputy:Timberfur—**brown tom

**Medicine Cat:Brambleberry—**pretty white she-cat with black spotted fur, blue eyes, and a strikingly pink nose

**Apprentice, Mudpaw**

**Warriors: Rippleclaw—**black-and-silver tabby tom

**Owlfur—**brown-and-white tom

**Ottersplash—**white-and-pale-ginger she-cat

**Apprentice, Leopardpaw**

**Oakheart—**reddish-brown tom with amber eyes

**Willowfur—**gray-and-brown tabby she-cat, sister of Graypool

**Apprentice, Fleckedpaw**

**Graypool—**gray she-cat with yellow eyes

**Amberstripe—**long-haired silver she-cat with brown curvy stripes around her paws, legs, and tail, sister of Icestorm

**Apprentices: Mudpaw—**long-haired light brown tom

**Leopardpaw—**golden tabby she-cat with unusual, mottled brown spots, and amber eyes

**Fleckedpaw—**light brown she-cat with unusual dappled golden flecks

**Queens: Lilystem—**pale-gray she-cat, expecting kits

**Icestorm—**silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes, mother of Crookedstar's kits: Silverkit, Dewkit, and Orangekit

**Kits: Silverkit—**silver-gray tabby she-cat with bright-blue eyes

**Dewkit—**gray tabby she-cat with dappled silver spots, and a black tabby-striped tail

**Orangekit—**dark gray tabby tom with dark orange eyes, and a bright ginger tail

**Elders:Troutclaw—**elderly gray tabby tom

**Featherstorm—**light brown she-cat

* * *

**Okay, there's the allegiances! I'll update them again at... (looks at outline) after chapter 23, before chapter 24. You're probably thinking, _Icy, you never get that far! You may as well not update it! _Well, actually, people, when you have an outline written for 50 chapters, plus the prologue and epilogue, you'd be surprised what I can do once I can write an outline. It's just that I'm usually too lazy to write an outline. But never fear, for Icy is here, with an outline for this story, called _A Blazing Blue Destruction_!**

**Hmm...that was strange. Anyways, the prologue should be up soon. Bye bye!**

**~Icy**


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

A white she-cat glared at the reflection of the blue-gray queen. "How dare she do this to us! Bluefur has betrayed the prophecy and will leave ThunderClan to fall forever! This can't be!"

"Snowfur, Bluefur has a heart as well. Not only does she hold the destiny of ThunderClan in her paws, but she has her own destiny, which is hers to shape, not ours. It is her choice whether she follows it or not," Moonflower reminded her daughter.

"Bluefur no longer holds the destiny of ThunderClan in her paws!" Snowfur spat at her mother. "She has washed her paws clean of it!"

"Both of you, be quiet!" a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat spat. Calmly, she added, "There is another cat that can take her place."

"Another cat?" Moonflower asked. "Who?"

"How is this possible?" Snowfur put in. "I thought Bluefur was the only one that could fulfill the prophecy of the blue flame!"

"That is true," Sweetpaw meowed. "Bluefur is the only cat who can represent the blue flame in the prophecy."

"Then what happens to her? What happens to ThunderClan now that Bluefur has thrown away her duty?" Moonflower asked.

"The blue flame has been put out, but do not fear, gentle Moonflower. Do not fret, sweet Snowfur," Sweetpaw meowed.

"How am I supposed to not fret?" Snowfur exclaimed. "ThunderClan is falling to apart as we speak!"

"As one flame falls, another flame rises," Sweetpaw gently reminded Snowfur.

"Another flame?" Snowfur asked.

"How can there be another flame?" Moonflower exclaimed. "There cannot be two flames at once!"

"No, there cannot be," Sweetpaw agreed. "But one flame has already been put out. The second flame has already awoken. Now it just has to rise."

"What do you mean?" Moonflower asked curiously, tipping her head to the side.

Sweetpaw blinked. She looked down at the reflection gray-and-white she-kit with green eyes, who was snuggled in her mother's belly alongside her two gray siblings. Sweetpaw opened her jaws and meowed, _"Kin of the blue flame will form an even stronger flame, which will destroy the claws of blood once and for all."_

* * *

**Short, I know, but it's all that is necessary. I know it's short, and I know that the chapters won't be as long as in some of my other stories, but give me a break, this story is fifty chapters plus the epilogue. How do I know this? Why, for once, I wrote an outline! I just finished the outline, so now it's time for me to write this story into OpenOffice and then post it online, right? I'll try to get a chapter a day, but there's no promises, as homework keeps me from doing a lot of things. Well, I hope you'll enjoy the story once I get the first couple of chapters up tomorrow! Although I must warn you, the first couple of chapters will be boring, but things start to get more interesting as the plot moves on. It moves on a bit slower than my other stories do, but all in good time, all in good time.**

**It's good to be back. I've missed writing fanfic, but I've been too busy doing homework. (coughwarriorswikicharartcoug h) What was that? Like I said, I've had too much homework. (coughbeenlazycough)**

**Anyways, I hope to update either tomorrow or Friday. Until then.**

**~Icy**


	3. Chapter 01: Just A Game

**Okay, this chapter's a little short, and mostly filler, but the next chapter should be much longer. Also, thanks for all of the favorites and story alerts!**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Just a Game**

* * *

"Yippee!" Bluefur watched as Mosskit slid down Thrushpelt's back.

"Mosskit! Don't roll down my back! Mistykit, that's my tail! Ow! Stonekit, don't hang from my ear!" Bluefur chuckled as Thrushpelt hissed in pain and shook all three kits off. Then, Thrushpelt lowered down into an attack pose. "Now I'm an enemy warrior looking for kits to eat. What should you three do?" Thrushpelt asked them.

"Bite him! In the neck!" Mistykit cried.

"Fight him!" Stonekit yowled. "Attack!"

"No duh! But we have to come up with a plan!" Mistykit argued with her brother.

"You don't have much time, a ShadowClan warrior is not going to pause and wait for you while you make up your mind," Bluefur reminded them.

"I'll run under him and trip him, and then you two get on his back and claw at him, as well as biting into his neck!" Mosskit decided.

"You don't want to kill me!" Thrushpelt cried, his eyes full of fake fear. Bluefur twitched her whiskers in amusement as Mosskit ran under Thrushpelt's paws and belly, tripping him, and then Stonekit and Mistykit following in the attack by jumping onto his back.

"You win! You win!" Thrushpelt cried.

"It's sad when three kits can beat a warrior," Whitestorm chuckled.

"You could have beaten Thistleclaw when you were a kit!" Thrushpelt replied, flicking his tail so that Mistykit would leave it alone.

"No I couldn't have," Whitestorm seemed happy and somewhat nostalgic.

"Stonekit, don't attack Runningkit!" Bluefur scolded her gray son.

Stonekit had pinned down the light brown tabby kit, and now Runningkit was surrendering.

"A real warrior lets his enemy go once they're sure they'll leave, and if they don't leave, _then_ they kill," Bluefur reminded her son.

"Oh yeah!" Stonekit exclaimed, letting Runningkit get up.

Bluefur sighed as Stonekit asked Runningkit, "Want to go to the elders' den with me? I'll get some mousebile from Featherwhisker, so they can't say no!"

"Alright!" Runningkit agreed. "Mousekit, you coming?"

"Of course I am!" Mousekit spat, running after the two toms over to the medicine cat den.

Bluefur wrinkled her nose at the smell of mousebile. But then, her thoughts drifted over to the medicine cat den. _I'm so glad I didn't listen to Goosefeather, _she thought, _I'm really glad that I let my kits live in ThunderClan. Stonekit's a natural at the hunting crouch, and Mosskit's a brilliant fighter. A good decision maker, too. Perhaps she can become deputy once she gets older and Thistleclaw eventually dies._

Bluefur had to admit that Thistleclaw was a pretty good deputy. Lately there hadn't been many instances of a fight, just a couple of injuries inside of the territory.

_All is good, _Bluefur thought, _and all will continue to be good for my kits. And Thrushpelt. And Thistleclaw's thirst for blood becomes less and less as the days go on._

* * *

**Little does Bluefur know just how wrong she is. Well, this is the only time you'll see Bluefur's POV, so if you were looking forward to lots of Bluefurryness, sorry, you won't get much of it. You'll get lots of Mistypaw and Stonepaw, and even more of Mosspaw, but Bluefur will be just an average character like the rest of them.**

**I'll try to get another chapter up today, but if I don't, then I'll update tomorrow! Also, sorry that this was short. I promise I'll try to make the next chapter longer.**

**~Icy**


	4. Chapter 02: Territorial Fox

**Icy: Well...I almost forgot to update today...Plus, I blame my dad. Anyone want to guess why?**

**Mosspaw: Ooh! Ooh! I do!**

**Icy: What?**

**Mosspaw: Your laptop cord!**

**Icy: Yes, Mosspaw, good job!**

**Mistypaw/Stonepaw: ?**

**Icy: (sigh) My dad forgot his laptop cord at his school again (where he works), so he had to use mine while he was streaming Doctor Who from Netflix. But I asked him for it, and he actually gave it to me without question, which I find very rare. Oh well, here's the chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 02**

**Territorial Fox**

* * *

"Would all cats gather around for a Clan meeting!" Mistykit looked up from the beetle she and Mousekit had been chasing when Sunstar called.

_It's time! Yes! _Mistykit left Mousekit to claw at the beetle The time for kit games were over at last!

It was time to become an apprentice!

She bounded forward, while Stonekit ignored the leader, chasing Runningkit's tail while Runningkit chased Stonekit's tail.

Mosskit calmly padded forward and stood beside Mistykit.

Mistykit cast a glance at her, and Mosskit looked back, whiskers twitching with amusement.

Mistykit twitched her ear as Sunstar continued.

"This is a proud day for ThunderClan..." Mistykit lifted her chin as Sunstar began. "...by naming apprentices we show that ThunderClan will survive and remain strong. Mistykit," Sunstar called her.

Mistykit padded forward, her tail twitching as she tried to hold in her excitement so she didn't embarrass herself. "From now on you shall be known as Mistypaw."

"Thrushpelt!" Sunstar continued. _Yes! _Her father was going to be her mentor! "You are ready for your first apprentice. You will be Mistypaw's mentor. I know you will pass your strength and courage on to Mistypaw, and teach her the skills that will make her a brave warrior of ThunderClan."

Mistypaw gladly padded forward to her father and touched noses with him. She was an apprentice at last! Exchanging a glance with her father, she could tell that Thrushpelt was happy as well, that his kits were finally becoming apprentices, and he was probably also happy, Mistypaw guessed, that they would no longer attack his tail.

Mistypaw twitched her ear as Sunstar continued.

"Stonekit!"

Stonekit stopped chasing Runningkit's tail and widened his eyes.

"Wha-wha-what?"

Mistypaw did her best to keep herself from bursting out laughing, but her whiskers quivered and her tail brushed up against the floor.

Sunstar rolled his eyes. "From now until you become a warrior, you shall be known as Stonepaw."

Stonekit—Stonepaw, widened his eyes as he realized he had just messed up his apprentice ceremony. From curiosity, Mistypaw found herself looking for her mother within the crowd of the Clan. She found her mother, whiskers quivering just like her own whiskers were.

Stonepaw, however, looked as embarrassed as a cat could get, if not more. Mistypaw wondered if he would get sick that his pelt was probably so hot with embarrassment.

"Stormtail, you are ready for another apprentice. You will be Stonepaw's mentor. I know you will pass on your bravery and intelligence, and teach him the skills that will make him a brave warrior of ThunderClan."

Mistypaw watched as Stonepaw padded up to his grandfather and touched noses with him. Mistypaw curled her tail in amusement as Stonepaw and Stormtail padded to the side of the clearing to stand beside Thrushpelt and Mistypaw. Mistypaw cast a glance at her brother as she realized that he was shaking with anxiousness.

_Mousebrain, _Mistypaw thought.

"Mosskit," Sunstar called, and Mistypaw was amazed as her sister calmly padded forward. "From now until you become a warrior, you shall be known as Mosspaw."

Mistypaw was once again amazed as Mosspaw didn't react.

"Thistleclaw, you were a great mentor to Tigerclaw, and I trust you to pass on those same skills to young Mosspaw," Sunstar meowed.

Mosspaw touched noses with Thistleclaw, and then Mosspaw came over to sit beside Mistypaw and Stonepaw while Thistleclaw sat down next to Stormtail and Thrushpelt.

Then the Clan began calling out their new names and Mistypaw found herself bursting with pride that she was finally an apprentice.

"Mistypaw! Stonepaw! Mosspaw! Mistypaw! Stonepaw! Mosspaw!"

When the Clan was finished calling their names, the meeting was over.

Mistypaw turned to her father. "What are we doing today?" she asked him.

"I'm showing you around all of the territory today. We'd better leave soon, or we won't have enough time to get to all of it," Thrushpelt meowed.

"The entire territory? That sounds tiring," Stormtail meowed. "Stonepaw, _we're_ doing battle training."

"What about me?" Mosspaw asked Thistleclaw.

"I need to sort out the patrols, and then I'll teach you how to hunt squirrels and birds by climbing up a tree," Thistleclaw meowed.

"Sounds exciting!" Mistypaw meowed. "Have fun, Mosspaw!"

"Isn't it a little early to teach them tree-climbing? They're still so small," Thrushpelt added.

_Worrywart,_ Mistypaw thought.

"Thrushpelt is right," Stormtail meowed. "It's too dangerous for cats as young as them."

_That's more like it! _Mistypaw liked it how Stormtail always chose his words carefully.

"Yes, but Mosspaw is calm enough, and has enough patience, to wait a moment or two to climb the next branch, and she also knows when it's the limit, unlike two other new apprentices I know." Mistypaw found herself being stared at by the Clan deputy.

"Thistleclaw, they're just new apprentices! You're not only keeping our new apprentices waiting, but you're also keeping the patrols waiting, which means the entire Clan waiting for prey," Stormtail scolded the Clan deputy.

_Why isn't Stormtail deputy? He seems like he'd do a much better job than Thistleclaw does, _Mistypaw thought. _But then again, would Stormtail be as willing to sacrifice all of ThunderClan for our pride and victory like Thistleclaw is?_

"Come on, Mistypaw, Stormtail's right; let's go," Thrushpelt meowed.

"Coming!" Mistypaw called after him. "See you later, Stonepaw. Have fun, Mosspaw!"

Mosspaw merely nodded, and as Mistypaw chased after her mentor, for the first time she wasn't so sure how Mosspaw was feeling on the inside. Normally, she could predict her sister's reactions, but today was different.

Something was wrong.

But Mistypaw easily shrugged it off as she chased after her mentor, excitement rushing through her as she bounded after her mentor.

* * *

"Eww! Yuck! What's that smell?!" Mistypaw exclaimed, taking a couple of steps back from the so-called "Thunderpath".

"That's the Thunderpath, as I just said, and Twoleg monsters walk on it. And across the Thunderpath, over there," Thrushpelt pointed with his nose, which Mistypaw couldn't see how he could stand the smell of it. "is ShadowClan territory. I don't know which smell you're smelling, but I'll tell you one thing. They're both horrible," Thrushpelt spat on the Thunderpath. "See how much I care for them? You've heard stories of ShadowClan before; the darkness of the night, which they like so well, passes right through their cold hearts, making them bloodthirsty."

_Bloodthirsty...fighting a lot of battles? Just like Thistleclaw? _Mistypaw wanted to ask, but she knew better than to ask aloud. She'd ask some other time, whenever that would be.

"And over here..." Mistypaw chased after her mentor, running along the border.

* * *

"This is Sunningrocks," Thrushpelt explained.

"Didn't we just fight over this?" Mistypaw asked.

"Yes, we just won it back. But those fish-faces will be back within less than a moon to claim it back, I tell you, but we'll just fight them back again and again. It's a never ending war, Mistypaw, it's a lose lose situation. It's one that you don't want to be a part of, but we're all forced to be a part of it. But let's move on, enough of RiverClan, you see that large area of grass over there?" Thrushpelt pointed with his tail.

"Yup, I see it. I can see the wind moving! How harsh are those winds, exactly?" Mistypaw asked in amazement.

"I don't know, don't ask me, ask some WindClan warriors," Thrushpelt meowed.

"I smell rabbit," Mistypaw announced.

"That's probably the WindClan scent being carried over here by those harsh winds you mentioned earlier," Thrushpelt meowed. He began to creep back through the undergrowth.

"Why are you crawling like that?" Mistypaw asked.

"I smell fox," Thrushpelt suddenly hissed.

Mistypaw crouched down beside her mentor, not sure if she was crouched down right or not.

"Good," Thrushpelt meowed, standing up. He looked at her with an amused look. "There's no fox, except for the two of us."

"How are we foxes?" Mistypaw asked in amazement. How were they the foxes? Neither of them had any ginger or reddish fur, that was the truth.

"Because of how we're traveling all around the territory, we're sneaking around it like foxes. We're being territorial foxes," Thrushpelt explained, his tail-tip curling in amuzement.

Out of sheer force of habit, Mistypaw launched a sheathed paw at Thrushpelt's tail, stopping it from going anywhere on the ground.

"Good job, even the simplest move can help you in the most complex battle. It all comes from the basics, and then moves from there," Thrushpelt began explaining once more. Her father sure knew how to talk!

But somehow, Mistypaw found herself remembering all of this.

"Now, you've only got one more thing to learn today, and then I'll leave you to your peace in the apprentice den," Thrushpelt meowed as they began to go back to camp, as Mistypaw assumed was the direction they were going in. Mistypaw recognized this area, as they had been there earlier.

"What is that?" Mistypaw asked.

Thrushpelt smiled. "You've got to gather yourself some moss for a nest. I'm sure that if you asked your mother nicely, and beat your brother and sister there, then you could probably get her nest from the nursery, but I'd hurry if I were you."

"Got it!" Mistypaw scampered back to camp. She had learned so much today, and traveled so far, but all the same, she felt more energy than she had ever before as a kit, ad was so excited to finally be aloud out of camp.

_I'm an apprentice! _Just the thought made her really happy, perhaps happy enough to do anything, and deal with any situation, even the situation of death.

And perhaps she would need to, shortly enough, perhaps death was just around the corner.

* * *

**Icy: And...CUT!**

**Mistypaw: Why there? Come on, Icy, why, why, why?**

**Icy: Because I felt like it, alright? Because I felt like it. Besides, I'm proud of the length of this chapter. I feel like it's not very long, but at the same time, it's not short, either. I feel satisfied today, unlike yesterday and the day before that. Also, I'm just going to say that in Chapter 9 two cats die, one of ThunderClan, one of ShadowClan. No one too important, you might be able to guess the one of ThunderClan if I give you the hint of the oneshot I wrote a few days ago, though. That explains the last sentence pretty well, I should think. That's right, in chapter 9, you'll see the first battle with another Clan with Thistleclaw! But before then, you'll see plenty of Thistleclaw pushing Mosspaw too much. Matter of fact, you'll get to see Thistleclaw's POV chapter 7...**

**Mosspaw: Shut up! We get the point already!**

**Icy: You're right, Mosspaw, I'm sorry. Sorry for the long author's note, and I should hopefully be able to update tomorrow. I'm not promising anything, but I'll try my best!**

**Mistypaw: That'll do a lot of good.**

**Icy: Be quiet! Both of you!**

**Stonepaw: (opens mouth to speak)**

**Icy: You too! Also, since it's night time over here in my time zone, good night, peeps. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope it was long enough for you. Thanks to everyone for the reviews!**

**~Icy**


	5. Chapter 03: Stone in the Hollow

**Icy: Well, sorry I'm updating late again. At least I'm updating. Today I worked on my chararts on warriorswiki again, and tomorrow I'll be glued to New Super Mario Bros. Wii. I was so sad when I couldn't find any place with a midnight release. So sad...anyway, here's the chapter. And I must explain, so that I don't forget to explain later, this chapter and the last chapter are really early in the morning, and when they go back to camp at the end of the day, it's actually a nap in the middle of the day, and then they'll train again later. Sorry, I messed that up when I connected chapter 4 and 7, and I was trying to do day one, day one, day one, day two, day two, day one, and then I realized the stupid mistake I made, so please bare with me as I try to fix it in this chapter. Sorry.**

**Also, I'm trying really hard not to make smart comments in the middle of the chapter. I've been watching waaaayyyyyyyy too much Dead Like Me, and Georgia is just like me, smart-alack and all. :) So be glad I don't comment in the middle of the chapter, because it's really tempting. Really _really_ tempting. Did I say it was tempting yet? I don't think I did...**

**Mosspaw: Shut up, Icy.**

**Icy: Yes, Mosspaw, I'm sorry. (hangs head down)**

**Mistypaw: (blinks) Wow, you sure talk for a long time!**

**Icy: Be quiet! Actually, talk all you want, you'll only get to for a certain amount of time...**

**Mistypaw: (sternly) And what's that supposed to mean?**

**Icy: You just wait and see, just wait and see...**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Stone in the Hollow**

* * *

"Well, this is it," Stormtail meowed.

"This place is huge!" Stonepaw looked around. This training hollow was awesome!

"Most apprentices have to either learn the territory on their first day, like Mistypaw, or learn to collect moss, like your mother did." Stormtail's mew was filled with amusement.

"Bluefur had to collect moss for the elders on her first day of training?" Stonepaw asked, whiskers quivering.

"Yes, she did. But you, however, get to learn some battle moves on your first day," Stormtail meowed. "You never know when you may need some skills to survive in battle and you never know what survival skills you may need later," Stormtail continued.

"I've already learned some," Stonepaw meowed.

"Like what? Do you know the difference between fighting a RiverClan warrior and a ShadowClan warrior? Have you ever seen a WindClan warrior before?" Stormtail asked.

"Here, you be a RiverClan warrior. You can't be ShadowClan because it's not night time, and you can't be WindClan because you're not very skinny, at all," Stonepaw meowed, getting ready to crouch down.

"Stop! You need to learn the differences. ShadowClan doesn't just like the night. They like the shadows as well, hence their name, _Shadow_Clan. ShadowClan like to hide more than we do, plus they like marshes rather than bushes and undergrowth."

"So ShadowClan can fight in the day, too?" Stonepaw asked in amazement.

"Stonepaw, are you that mousebrained? ShadowClan hunt in the day just like we do! They just prefer to fight and attack at night time. Besides, any attack will be at night time if you're attacking someone else's camp. Unless you want everyone to see you while you attack their leader, of course." Stormtail flicked his tail. "Now, tell me something about RiverClan warriors."

"They live near a river, hence their name, _River_Clan," Stonepaw suggested.

Stormtail snorted. "Nice try, but be more specific. What's in the rivers that they like so much?"

"Fish!" Stonepaw cried out. "I bet they taste disgusting!"

"To us they do, but according to RiverClan they're the best thing you'll ever taste. Just ask Dappletail or White-Eye," Stormtail added, curling his tail in amusement. "They'd know all about that. They had an interesting journey one time when they decided to see what fish tasted like, but they almost drowned in the process. The former RiverClan leader, Hailstar, saved them and then said that he would forgive them and let them have the fish. Then, Pinestar, our former leader, told them to eat it. But they were disgusted with it! So, just ask them some day about how fish taste. They'll let you know how good they taste. _Not!_ But what do fish do to the RiverClan warriors?"

"Feed them?" Stonepaw asked.

Stormtail narrowed his eyes. "No, I don't think the fish are prey for the RiverClan warriors; the RiverClan cats just capture them, kill them, and then throw them back into the lake. _Of course they eat them!_ The fish don't exactly run out during leaf-bare, and in the leaf-green, when there are plenty of fish, they make the RiverClan warriors fat, almost like kittypets, but they also make the RiverClan warriors have sleek pelts, so you have to learn how to fight them a different way than you would cats who like to hide, like ShadowClan warriors. Then we get to WindClan, which is an entirely different story..."

"Aren't WindClan cats really small?" Stonepaw asked.

"Finally! You said something intelligent!" Stormtail cried. Stonepaw let out a soft growl, but Stormtail just twitched his ear and continued. "WindClan cats are scrawny, because not only do they run so much, but there aren't as many rabbits as there are fish and birds, and WindClan cats are often starving, except for the middle of leaf-green, when everyone has plenty of prey. So, how would you fight small cats?"

"You'd have to crush them with your bigger size, since they're so small!" Stonepaw cried out.

"Yes, you would. But for RiverClan warriors..."

"You'd have to make sure you didn't slip, because their wet pelts could catch you off balance, just like WindClan's scrawny-ness could easily trip you up if they got their paws under your paws and made you lose your balance," Stonepaw meowed.

"And for ShadowClan warriors..."

"You would have to keep your eyes open at all angles, so they didn't jump out behind you. If you could take them to a spot with nothing to hide under, like the moors of WindClan territory, then their fighting skills would probably only be half of what they are normally," Stonepaw guessed.

"Right! You're getting somewhere now. Now, let's try some of those battle moves," Stormtail meowed.

_Yes! _Stonepaw was excited. Finally, he would get to learn some real battle moves besides "_Attack a cat's tail_" and "_Attack!_". But those were kit moves, and now it was time to learn some real moves.

"Now, I'm a ShadowClan warrior trying to steal the Clan's kits. How are you going to attack me?" Stormtail asked, crouching down and sneaking forward, his belly close to the ground.

"Uh..." _Crud, I have no clue! _Taking a guess, Stonepaw leaped forward, straight at Stormtail.

Stormtail quickly got up and easily swatted him aside with a single paw.

"A cat as small as you, a new apprentice, can't just attack like that!" Stormtail growled. "Think! Don't just randomly attack! Now try again." Stormtail crouched down again.

Stonepaw just stood there, getting up from where he had been thrown aside. This time he didn't attack. He tried to think, but he had no clue what to do. _Do I attack? I want him out of the shadows, but I'm not big enough to do that!_

"Well, I've probably killed or eaten a kit by now," Stormtail snapped.

"No cat would _eat_ kits! That would taste disgusting, unless you're insane!" Stonepaw spat.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'll show any pity. I'll probably claw your kits to pieces so that your Clan has no future warriors. Now, what are you going to do?" Stormtail asked.

Stonepaw, getting angrier and angrier, launched himself at his grandfather, but once again, Stormtail just got up. This time he dodged by simply stepping to the right while Stonepaw couldn't change his direction.

_No! He's going to kill my Clan! My former den mates!_

Stonepaw felt defeated as his head was thrust into the dust. _I can't do this...I don't...understand...what am I supposed to do?_

"Some cats are naturals, while others have to learn. I can see that you have some learning to do. But for now, you've done well. You've learned the differences of each cat. Let's see how you do in hunting," Stormtail meowed.

"Huh?" Stonepaw asked.

"Come on, we're going back to camp. You can take a quick nap, and then we'll go hunting with Mistypaw and Thrushpelt, if they're back," Stormtail added.

"Alright," Stonepaw agreed, getting to his paws and spitting the dust out of his mouth. He felt horrible, he felt defeated, and he felt as if he had actually lost a clanmate, even though it was just a practice bout, plus his first day training.

_How many more cats will I upset? How many more cats will I let down? How many actual cats will I lose?_

* * *

**Icy: Little did Stonepaw know that he would lose many clanmates along the way...**

**Mistypaw: Wait, wait, wait, _what?_**

**Stonepaw: No! In your outline, it said that I was supposed to learn some advanced moves!**

**Icy: Well, I changed my mind.**

**Stonepaw: (growls)**

**Icy: Oh, be quiet. You don't want to end up like Mistypaw, do you? Oh wait, you end up worse than Mistypaw...**

**Stonepaw: What are you talking about?**

**Mistypaw: Icy, you need to see somebody, medicine cat, something, cause you have issues.**

**Icy: No I don't. You'll see in the future, you two, you'll see...that I'm not lying, that you'll both end up being treated like crap...**

**Mosspaw: Really?**

**Icy: I'm not saying anything more, I've spilled so many spoilers in these author notes, and I really need to stop before I give the entire plot away. So, sorry for the late update again, I'll try to update again tomorrow. Also, sorry, I would have posted this about an hour ago, but there was a login error, so I had to wait for a while...who knows, but I'm glad I got to update before the day ends in an hour and a half. I'll try to update tomorrow, but no promises. If there's no update, you know exactly who, or what, to blame. New Super Mario Bros. Wii. So, if I don't update tomorrow, which I hopefully will, then I'll talk to all you peeps Monday or something along those lines. (lol) Sorry for rambling on again, I'll try to update ASAP.**

**~Icy**


	6. Chapter 04: Tree Hunt

**Icy: Well, here's chapter four, the first appearance of Mosspaw's POV!**

**Mosspaw: Will we be seeing my POV often?**

**Mistypaw: Will we be seeing my POV quite often?**

**Stonepaw: Yeah, what about me?**

**Icy: Hah! Are you kidding? Mosspaw, we'll see your POV so much that people will have forgotten all about Mistypaw and Stonepaw!**

**Stonepaw: What?**

**Mistypaw: Why?**

**Icy: Oh yeah, I've decided to write a sequel to this story, also, but since this story ends differently, I won't be bringing back characters from the original series in the next story. I might make this into a series, but I haven't decided yet. Oh well, at least I've got all of this story in an outline for now.**

**Flarepaw: Why aren't you playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii right now?**

**Icy: Get back in your own story! Well, you want the truth? The HD satellite is getting installed right now, so I can't get on the TV. Figures. Oh well, at least I can write fanfic during that time. :)**

**Flarepaw: (backs away slowly)**

**Icy: Yeah, you better run! Anyway, here's the chapter. Thanks to everyone for the reviews! Even though no one reviewed last chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Tree Hunt**

* * *

Mosspaw looked up, the tree was high above her head. "Thistleclaw, why are we here?" she asked her mentor.

"We're here to climb this tree, of course. We're going to climb to the top," Thistleclaw meowed.

"_Today?_" Mosspaw asked in amazement.

"Of course? When else would we do it? When you're an elder and I'm long dead? Of course we're going to climb this _now_!" Thistleclaw flicked his tail onto the ground. "Now, there's a trick to climbing trees."

"And that is?' Mosspaw asked, twitching her ear.

"Keeping your claws unsheathed, no matter what," Thistleclaw hissed, his ears flattening to the back of his head as if Mosspaw was a badger. "Now, watch me."

Thistleclaw, without hesitation, ran and jumped at the bark of the tree. _He'll never make it!_ Mosspaw thought worriedly. Thistleclaw, however, hung on with his claws and quickly advanced up the bark. He suddenly jumped sideways and partially backwards onto a branch. He landed smoothly,on all fours on a branch higher than where he had been on the bark.

"Now, you do it," Thistleclaw meowed as if it was as simple as picking a piece of fresh-kill out of the fresh-kill pile.

_What? No way! I can't do that! _Mosspaw felt her fur beginning to bristle.

"Come on, who's the scared cat? Are you a scared cat—"

Mosspaw didn't let Thistleclaw continue, for her anger caused her to jump at the bark. She quickly unsheathed her claws and clung on to the bark for dear life. She forced herself to look down beneath her. She was horrified as she realized that one mistake could cost her her life.

_Is that what Thistleclaw wants? _Mosspaw asked herself. _Does Thistleclaw want me to die?_

_But that's insane! _She argued with herself. _My mentor wouldn't want to kill me!_

Mosspaw gulped.

_Would he?_

"Come on, you can't hang there all day! Your claws are going to fall out at some point!" Thistleclaw yelled from his branch. He stepped sideways so Mosspaw would have enough room to land.

Mosspaw, horrified, realized that Thistleclaw was right. Her claws were beginning to loosen out of the bark and it would only be moments before she fell.

_Now! _She forced herself to push off of the bark, and she turned in the air just right so that she landed on all fours. She dug her claws into the branch, but she was still swaying.

"Here, I've got you," Thistleclaw lifted his tail to show Mosspaw how to use it to help herself keep balance. Mosspaw lifted her tail so it would stand straight, and she arched her back, instead of just sitting there.

"Good. You ready to go higher?" Thistleclaw asked.

_Higher? No way! _Mosspaw felt her fur begin to bristle once more.

"Come on," Thistleclaw didn't wait for her to answer, as he took a large leap upwards, and hung on with his claws. "Hurry! I can't hold on for much longer!"

Terrified, Mosspaw leaped at the branch, her paws outstretched, and she successfully clawed onto the branch.

"Now, watch this," Thistleclaw whispered. Mosspaw watched, eyes wide, as Thistleclaw, using his upper body strength, pulled his hind legs up so that they could claw onto the branch, and then he let go of his front to claws, immediately launching them farther onto the branch. Then, he released his hind claws, and pulled himself up onto the branch.

_Does he expect me to do that? _Mosspaw was horrified at the thought of it.

"Come on, Mosspaw, do you want to fall and break your spine or stick with me and live?" Thistleclaw asked.

_Live, of course! So, does he want me dead, or is this just a game? _Mosspaw wondered. Not staying there to ponder any longer, she pulled herself onto the branch, and when she was finally on it, she felt really exhausted.

_How much further to go? _She wondered.

Good." Thistleclaw gave a brief nod. Then, he leaped up onto the next branch. Mosspaw stared in horror. The branch wasn't much higher, but it was at a fox length away!

Mosspaw stared in horror as Thistleclaw kept going on without her.

_He wants me to die!_ Mosspaw realized. Struggling, she leaped onto the next branch, and then forced herself to catch up and keep up with Thistleclaw.

* * *

Mosspaw gasped for air. Just a couple more branches, and they would be at the top!

She leaped at the next branch. Thistleclaw had already gotten to the top.

_Just one more! _She thought excitedly.

Mosspaw looked down, and her excitement was replaced by fear. If she fell...it would be the end of her.

Closing her eyes, Mosspaw made the final leap.

She opened her eyes as she dug her claw into the final branch. All she had to do now was pull herself up...

Mosspaw felt her claws slide out of the bark, and she shut her eyes as she realized she was falling...

"Mosspaw, no!"

* * *

**Icy: Want to find out what happens to Mosspaw? You shall have to wait until Chapter Seven!**

**Mosspaw: Do I get to live?**

**Icy: Of course you do! Oh yeah, first reviewer of this chapter will get a sneak peek of chapter 14! Well, I'll show them what it says on the outline for that chapter.**

**Mosspaw: In other words, _review!_**

**Icy: Actually, I don't care how many reviews I get, but let me tell you something, all the reviews I've gotten for this story? It's the fastest I've ever gotten that many! So, thank you. Thank you thank you for reading this story!**

**~Icy**


	7. Chapter 05: Sparrow For One

**Icy: Okay...let's see...what number are we on?**

**Mosspaw: (sighs) 5. We're on chapter five.**

**Mistypaw: (pricks ears) Doesn't that mean that it's my turn?**

**Stonepaw: (growls)**

**Icy: Yup! It sure does! And everyone, thanks for all of the reviews! Well, here's chapter five, and thanks for all the story alerts, favorites, and reviews again!**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Sparrow For One**

* * *

Mistypaw watched as Thrushpelt suddenly leaped forward, pinned down the mouse, and finished it off with one swipe.

"Awesome!" Mistypaw cried.

"Now that seems more Stonepaw like," Stonepaw commented as he curled his tail-tip.

"Let's see if that's really true or not," Stormtail muttered, flicking his tail. "Here, you try, Mistypaw," Stormtail finished with a retort.

Mistypaw lowered as Thrushpelt had. She waited. She pricked her ears when she saw a sparrow landing on the ground. She stood still and forced herself to stay quiet and keep from making any noises.

She wanted to look to Thrushpelt to see what she should have done next, but she forced herself not to. If she did then the sparrow might notice her and fly away.

By positive instinct, Mistypaw dashed out at the sparrow. As it began to lift itself up into the sky, Mistypaw bunched her muscles and leaped up at it. She grabbed it in between her teeth and killed it with a swift bite to the neck.

She landed safely on all four paws, and then turned around to face Thrushpelt, Stonepaw, and Stormtail.

Mistypaw dropped the sparrow and waited for someone to say something.

At last, no one said anything, so she asked, "Well? Did I do it right? Did I catch it okay?"

Thrushpelt blinked. "Yeah—of course you did. That was great, Mistypaw. Your first catch on your first time. Great job!"

"That was really good," Stormtail agreed.

The two senior warriors had complimented her! Mistypaw felt herself filled with pride from head to tail-tip.

"Now, Stonepaw, you try," Stormtail mewed. "There's a squirrel burrowing through the ground right there," he pointed his tail without flicking it on the ground.

Stonepaw crouched down and Mistypaw watched as Stonepaw sped past her, racing against the wind for providing the squirrel for his Clan.

* * *

**Icy: I know! I know! I know! That was really short! But that's what happens when you're trying to watch Heroes, House, and check your email every five minutes for an update on WarriorsWiki PCA talk page.**

**Mosspaw: (growls) When do I come back?**

**Icy: You? Or your POV?**

**Mosspaw: (fur bristles in astonishment) They're different?!**

**Icy: Yup!**

**Mistypaw: She already said some time ago! Thrushpelt gets one time of having his POV!**

**Stonepaw: Oh yeah! I remember that! I think...I was here for that, right?**

**Icy: (shrugs) Who knows, I don't remember. Readers, I'm so sorry for this short chapter, and I don't know if I'll be able to update tomorrow or not. Tuesdays are busy nights, and afternoons are filled with homework. Grr...I'll update ASAP, whether that be tomorrow, Wednesday, or even Thursday. I'll try my best, though, I promise!**

**~Icy**


	8. Chapter 06: Squirrel's Day

**Icy: Hate to say this, but this chapter will be even more boring than yesterday's chapter. But to make up for it, tomorrow you'll get a one-time special of Thistleclaw's POV! Now, remember, it'll still keep the plot moving, but he shows his true side to Mosspaw; his murderous side. :)**

**Crowd of random readers: (gasp)**

**Mosspaw: Be quiet, you all!**

**Mistypaw: That's right! We're doing our best to act out this script that Icy leaves us!**

**Stonepaw: Act out? We don't even know what happens to ourselves!**

**Mistypaw: I know! Let's ask Flarepaw!**

**Flarepaw: I'm not telling anything. Besides, (blinks) I shouldn't even be here.**

**Icy: She's right. Flarepaw, _get back to your own story! _Mosspaw, Mistypaw, Stonepaw is right. You don't act out anything, you watch as you get yourselves killed in my story. MWUHAHAHAHA...**

**Flarepaw: (nods head) I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive Icy for her random evilness...**

**Icy: Be quiet! Here's the chapter. :)**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Squirrel's Day**

* * *

Stonepaw felt comforted by the wind as he chased after the squirrel. His chase was tireless. He felt like he could run forever, which was good, because this stupid squirrel he was chasing didn't seem to want to be caught.

_But I'll catch it anyway! I won't end up like I did this morning! _Filled with determination, he ran even faster and, taking a big risk, he took a huge leap and landed with his claws in the squirrel's neck.

He looked at it, his heart pounding and his blood ringing in his ears. Had he killed it yet?

Then, after forcing himself to calm down, he realized he had successfully killed it.

_Yes! Prey for my Clan! I've succeeded, and now Stormtail will think better of me!_

Then Stonepaw remembered he needed to thank StarClan for his prey.

_I will take only what I need and give the rest to my Clan so that they may live before I do. Thank you, StarClan, _he added, _for letting me improve on my skills so quickly. _He felt like the battle moves he had practiced earlier that morning had helped him catch that squirrel.

_That's right, I'll be the best hunter in ThunderClan! You just watch me, Mistypaw!_

Stonepaw picked up the squirrel and turned around to face his clanmates. He padded over to them. He was angered by the twitch of his sister's tail as she sniffed the air for more prey. Had she even noticed his awesome catch?

Wanting to make an impression, he turned to Thrushpelt, but his father was turned around and watching a mouse.

Last but not least, Stonepaw turned to Stormtail. _Please notice! _Much to his dismay, Stormtail had left him behind and gone off elsewhere.

Angry, Stonepaw dropped the squirrel onto the muddy ground and spit out the fur that was left in his mouth. _So much help you were, StarClan! _Stonepaw felt anger surging through him. Why wouldn't anyone notice him?

He watched as Mistypaw leaped at a mouse. Stonepaw loudly slapped his tail onto the ground and caused the mouse to run off just as Mistypaw landed.

"Nice try!" Stonepaw sarcastically called out to his sister.

Mistypaw whipped around, her eyes full of anger, but Stonepaw could notice that she was trying to appear calm. "Nice squirrel," she spat.

"Thanks." Stonepaw puffed his chest out in pride. "I caught it all on my own. Didn't you see?"

"No, I didn't see," Mistypaw muttered as she turned around. Her tail swished back and forth from side to side on the ground, brushing the leaves together so that they made noise, and scared off the water vole that Stonepaw had been eyeing.

Stonepaw hissed in anger. "What was that for!?" he spat.

"Pay back!" Mistypaw snarled.

Stonepaw let out a growl. "I watched while you caught your first prey, but you couldn't even bother to watch as I caught mine! I was trying to be nice, but _of course_ you couldn't return the favor!"

"I was busy trying to provide more prey for my Clan so that we could all live another day! Now, when Spottedkit, Willowkit, or Redkit die, I'm blaming you!" Mistypaw spat.

"And I'll have you to blame!" Stonepaw spat back.

Mistypaw's fur was bristling by now. "Well, let's have a competition, then! We'll see how much more prey I can catch than you!"

"Yeah right! I'll catch much more than you will!" Stonepaw spat back.

Mistypaw arched her back, her eyes shining with such fury that, if Stonepaw hadn't have known Mistypaw, he might have actually been scared. Perhaps it was because he was used to this look, as he and Mistypaw had never been the best of siblings. Perhaps it was because the only thing that actually scared Stonepaw was the fear of not being able to save his clan. Nevertheless, Stonepaw knew that Mistypaw was angry enough to kill a warrior of another Clan, or perhaps even one of her own Clan.

Perhaps even Stonepaw.

Stonepaw felt his own fur bristling at the thought of someone dying. He didn't want _anyone_ to die. He knew it had to happen, but at least not between his own clanmates.

"Stonepaw! Did you catch that all on your own?" Thrushpelt asked.

Stonepaw turned to his father, his fur immediately keeping still. He puffed out his chest in pride. "Yup! I sure did!"

"Your first prey!" Thrushpelt sounded excited. "I couldn't be more proud of you."

Stonepaw cast a quick look at his sister, purposefully knowing that he was stealing all of the attention. Then he looked back at his father and let out a purr. Someone had noticed his success at last.

Stonepaw was about to ask where Stormtail had gone off to when he heard a really loud yowl. Stonepaw recognized the voice as the voice of his deputy, as well as his cousin's father. Stonepaw felt terrified as he recognized the words of the yowl.

Two, just two words, that could mean so much. Stonepaw felt his head begin to spin at the thought of everything that could have happened at that particular moment.

"_Mosspaw, no!"_

* * *

**Icy: Don't you just love cliffhangers?**

**Mistypaw: No, not really.**

**Stonepaw: Especially when my sister could be dying.**

**Mosspaw: I'm not dying!**

**Flarepaw: (laughs) Isn't sibling rivalry so fun to watch?**

**Icy: My opinion exactly. But I must admit, you and Wingpaw were fun to watch as well, especiallly when you got mad at Wingpaw...**

**Flarepaw: You be quiet, Icy! Or I'll come and kill you!**

**Icy: Seriously? Wouldn't it be more like me killing you off a story?**

**Mistypaw: Come on, shut up already and write the next chapter?**

**Icy: Nope, you'll have to wait until next chapter.**

**Flarepaw: Aww...**

**Icy: Flarepaw, get back to your own story. You've had enough talk here.**

**Flarepaw: But you never update anymore! I'll never get a chance to talk ever again!**

**Icy: (sighs) Sorry, you'll have to forgive Flarepaw; she's just like Stonepaw, desparate for attention.**

**Stonepaw: What!?**

**Flarepaw: Am not!**

**Icy: Then shut up, Flarepaw! (laughs) Well, sorry, readers, for the really really really long authors note, and sorry for the really boring and short chapter. I hope you enjoyed Mistypaw and Stonepaw's argument, though. A little bit of humor filler. I'll update tomorrow! Look forward to Thistleclaw's POV tomorrow, because it's the only time you'll get Thistleclaw's POV!**

**~Icy**


	9. Chapter 07: Dulled Claws

**Icy: I'm _soooooooooooooooooooooooooo_ sorry for the late update! I've had a really busy night and hopefully I'll be able to write this in (cough-ten-or-fifteen-cough) minutes.**

**Mosspaw: The moment you've all been waiting for is finally here.**

**Mistypaw: Soo...**

**Stonepaw: I'm confused...**

**Mosspaw: Just be quiet, you two. Readers,**

**Icy: Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 07**

**Dulled Claws**

* * *

"_Mosspaw, no!"_

Thistleclaw was surprised as he recognized the voice as his own. He had no reason to yowl; he was already deputy and the loss of a mere apprentice, _Bluefur's kit_ for that matter, wouldn't hurt him.

But it was his apprentice...and his decision to bring her to climb trees on her first day of apprenticeship...He hadn't thought much of it, but knew that Sunstar would have decided something much different.

Thistleclaw knew what he had to do. As Mosspaw began to fall towards the ground at skyrocketing speeds, he bunched his muscles and leaped down. He grabbed Mosspaw by the scruff and began to land safely.

He watched as Mosspaw shut her eyes closed. Was she really that prepared for death? Such a coward! Thistleclaw immediately knew that she would never make it to a warrior.

Thistleclaw was almost tempted to drop her onto the ground; it would even give him a soft landing.

But he knew that that wasn't the answer. He knew that he had to be patient, and that his time for victory would be later.

For now, he had to land safely on all fours...

Thistleclaw was almost torn away by the stench of Mosspaw's fear scent. Didn't she realize that she would be safe for now?

Of course, maybe she already knew of Thistleclaw's betrayal...No! She couldn't! She had no possible way of knowing that Thistleclaw was ready to betray the Clan for total domination! She couldn't know! It was impossible!

Thistleclaw's thoughts were cut as he was forced to land. _At last...time to get this over,_ he thought. _These moments couldn't have taken any longer._ Thistleclaw had second thoughts. _No, it could have lasted much longer. My apprentice could have been dead by now. I could have needed to come up with a story, but now I don't need to._

Thistleclaw brought all of his strength into his landing. He landed roughly with all four paws on the ground at the same time. His legs temporarily burned, but as soon as he set Mosspaw down the burning pain of the harsh landing slowly simmered away.

Still stiff, he stretched his legs as Mosspaw came to the realization that she was still alive. _Unfortunately,_ Thistleclaw thought, _she gets to live for another day. But don't you worry, StarClan, I'll get to her eventually, and in the end, everyone will be dead beneath my claws._

Mosspaw was opening her eyes. _Typical, the average coward,_ Thistleclaw thought.

Thistleclaw padded over to his apprentice and whispered into her ear a threat for the future, for even though it was impossible, he had suspicions that Mosspaw had known for quite some time of his true motives. She always had a different look on her face than her brother and sister, and she always seemed unchanging. She was never surprised by the most surprising things, and was only scared at the thought of death. No, not death; just her own death and the death of those that she cared about.

But did she care about him? Would Mosspaw perhaps have any chance of stopping him?

Thistleclaw shook the thoughts from his head. No, it wasn't possible.

To get rid of the very small possible doubts in his mind, he whispered in Mosspaw's ear, "It'll only get harder from here, you coward! You'd better get stronger soon, or _you won't survive my training._"

Mosspaw only seemed to nod. Thistleclaw wondered just how horrified she was. Surely she couldn't be that scared, could she?

Thistleclaw felt himself backing away a few steps and leaving Mosspaw to her own space. There was something he didn't trust about that cat...

Something that could possibly end his plans...

Thistleclaw roughly shook his head. Perhaps it was just the aftermath of the harsh land. A small nap would do him some good.

"Come on, let's go back to camp," Thistleclaw meowed casually, as if nothing had happened.

_That's right, nothing will be left in my path except for many dead bodies; the bodies of my enemies and my minions. In the end, nothing will stop me!_ Thistleclaw looked back at Mosspaw, and saw a bright blue fire in her green eyes. _Not even the strongest of all flames!_

* * *

**Icy: Well, if none of that is foreshadowing, then I don't know what is because I left _a lot_ of clues in that chapter. Agreed?**

**Mosspaw: What?**

**Mistypaw: What?**

**Stonepaw: What?**

**Flarepaw: (sigh) You three don't even know what will happen to yourselves, so you may as well just ignore what Icy and I say and just pay attention to what happens in your story.**

**Icy: (nods) Thank you, Flarepaw. Well, readers, get ready for some Mosspaw action next chapter! Well, not action...more like preparing for action. Oh well, whatever. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. If I update tomorrow, and Friday, you'll get to see a commonly-named character die!**

**Flarepaw: Yay! Now your other story really will happen!**

**Icy: Anyway, I'll try my best to update tomorrow!**

**~Icy**


	10. Chapter 08: Feather and Moss

**Icy: Well, all I have to say is _yay! _I found time to update! Luckily enough, I have no homework today. :)**

**Mistypaw: Without further ado,**

**Stonepaw: Here's the chapter!**

**Mosspaw: Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**Feather and Moss**

* * *

Mosspaw padded into camp behind Thistleclaw, her ears drooping. Mistypaw and Stonepaw had run off once she assured them she was okay. _Stupid Thistleclaw!_

Mosspaw watched as Thistleclaw padded over to Robinwing and started talking to her about a patrol.

Mosspaw twitched her ears as she made sure Thistleclaw was occupied. Then, making sure Thistleclaw wouldn't see her enter, she quickly ran over to the medicine cat den and padded inside.

_Okay, poppy seeds are round and black...and small! I think they're small, anyway...let me see..._ Mosspaw crept over to the medicine stash.

She started to grab a poppy seed with her teeth and drag it out of the stash when she heard a voice.

"That'll make you sleepy, you know," the cat meowed.

_I was right! These are the poppy seeds! Yes! _Despite the situation, Mosspaw was glad that she had known what she was looking for.

She turned around, dropping the poppy seed. She saw a silvery-gray tom with bright amber eyes. _Featherwhisker. Good, I can get through this,_ she thought. She knew that Featherwhisker was more lenient than Goosefeather was. _No, far more lenient that Goosefeather is._

"I—I knew that," Mosspaw stammered.

Featherwhisker's bright amber eyes were calm. "What's wrong? What do you need?"

"Uh..." Shuffling her paws, Mosspaw told Featherwhisker how she had climbed to the top of the tree and then fallen as she leaped for the final branch.

When she was done, Featherwhisker meowed, "Okay, well...let me get something..." Featherwhisker broke off as Goosefeather stomped into the medicine cat den. Mosspaw was surprised at how unwell his fur was kept. What was wrong with this cat?

"What's the matter with my cousin's daughter?" Goosefeather snapped.

"She's just had a tree incident, that's all," Featherwhisker meowed.

"A _tree incident_? Is she hurt?" Goosefeather snapped.

Mosspaw was amazed at Featherwhisker's calmness. How could he deal with this cat all day? "No, she's fine; she's just scared, that all."

"Scared? _Scared?_ What happened, Mosspaw?" the older medicine cat seemed outraged.

"I was climbing the tree, Thistleclaw and I were, and I missed the final branch and started to fall, but Thistleclaw leaped down, caught me, and landed safely on his paws while he kept me from being injured." Mosspaw still felt injured on the inside, even if she wasn't physically hurt.

"Thistleclaw!" Goosefeather spat. "I should have known! If Bluefur hadn't have kept her kits, the prophecy could have been stopped," Mosspaw wasn't comforted by the words _kept her kits, _"and that bloody cat could have been stopped for good! But _no_, Bluefur just had to be stubborn, and had to sacrifice all four Clans!" Goosefeather looked her in the eyes. "Just like Tigerclaw, you weren't supposed to have been born!" Goosefeather spat. "But however, unlike him, you're not a monster. I can see something different...like instead of destroying many lives, you'll save many lives..."

"Umm...what? " Mosspaw stammered. She had never been so confused...

"Don't worry about it, Mosspaw," Featherwhisker meowed briskly. "He does this from time to time. Now, here, you take these poppy seeds and go get some sleep, and then you'll wake up fine tomorrow."

_I hope so,_ Mosspaw thought. _Of course, if these two maniacs hadn't have come in here, I would have been just fine with my plans._

"Hey Featherwhisker! Have you seen Mosspaw?" Mosspaw looked to see her sister standing at the cave entrance.

Mosspaw lapped up the poppy seed, and then padded over to her sister. "I'm right here," she meowed.

"Oh. Well, we're on border patrol tomorrow," Mistypaw meowed.

"Alright." Mosspaw padded past her sister, feeling sleepy already. _Wow, those poppy seeds sure do work fast._

Mosspaw padded into the apprentice den, unaware of her sister following her. She lay down in her nest and felt herself falling into a deep sleep.

"What's wrong?" Mistypaw asked.

"Nothing, just a scare, that's all," Mosspaw muttered.

"Alright. Good night, and see you in the morning." Mistypaw took place in her nest beside Mosspaw. Finding comfort in the warmth of her sister laying next to her, alongside the effect of the poppy seeds, Mosspaw easily fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

**Icy: Well, the ending was a little bit lame, and I also feel really bad because I forgot to post this yesterday _and_ the day before that. I should get chapter nine to you sometime tonight, but I simply don't have any time for chapter ten today, unless after I do my tutorials for PCA, which I don't think I can do that much in the remaining of the day. I'll try my best, though!**

**~Icy**


	11. Chapter 09: Tooth and Claw

**Icy: Everyone, I really hate to say this, but I have no guarantee that I can update everyday anymore. My left is really hectic right now, with Thankgiving, and then soon Christmas, crazy, I tell you. But I should be able to update at least once a week, if not twice or thrice. I'm really sorry that I have to make these amends—**

**Wingpaw: Yes! Ha ha ha...I snuck on to Icy's youtube account again...**

**Icy: I'm not even logged in.**

**Wingpaw: ...What's this? Super Smash Bros. 4—NO!**

_Everyone hears Rick Riley music._

**Flarepaw/Icy: (bursts out laughing)**

**Mosspaw: (twitches ear) Can we get to some characters who are actually in this story?**

**Icy: Oh, right, sorry, but did you see that? (points at Wingpaw, who was angrily lashing her tail) That was the all-so-great epic fail of the day!**

**Wingpaw: You did that at one point in time, too!**

**Icy: I'll tell you the worst, though, one time, I click on this Super Smash Bros. Brawl DS thing, and—I don't even want to go there. If I had to pick a word to describe it, just one word, I'd pick creepy, but I'd think twice about disturbing. And there we go—**

**Flarepaw: BACK TO THE STORY!**

**Mosspaw: THANK YOU!**

**Stonepaw: WHY ARE WE SCREAMING?**

**Mistypaw: I DON'T KNOW!**

**Icy: (bursts out laughing) Oh, sorry, inside joke. (whiskers twitch) Well, anyway, Flarepaw's right, back to the story, and sorry for you all who don't know who Flarepaw and Wingpaw are, but Wingpaw and Flarepaw are bored to death because I'm too lazy—I mean busy to update Toyed Fear or SotS. (laughs timidly) So, you'll have to forgive them.**

**Wingpaw: Why can't we be in this story as well?**

**Icy: I'm _trying_ to come up with some original names and not names that I've used in every single story I've ever had. But maybe...I'll think about it. You definitely won't be in in this story, you'll be in the sequel. You'll be of...you'll both be in separate Clans. Wingpaw in WindClan, Flarepaw in ShadowClan. But enough about the sequel, let's get to _now_!**

**Mosspaw: FINALLY!**

**Icy: (gets to Mosspaw's ear to whisper something, and then yells as loud as possible) I'M TIRED OF YOU YELLING!**

**Mosspaw: OW! WHY?**

**Icy: Because you're ticking me off. Now, (acts all happy as if that didn't happen) here's the chapter! (grins an evil grin)**

* * *

**Chapter 09**

**Tooth and Claw**

* * *

Mosspaw groaned as Mistypaw prodded at her side with a paw.

"Come on," Mistypaw whispered, "we've got to go. Patrol!" Mistypaw was trying to whisper, but by the time her voice and excitement combined to one, her voice was loud enough to wake up a cat in WindClan.

"Mistypaw!" Stonepaw spat.

Mistypaw turned. "What?"

"Shut up!" Stonepaw spat.

Mistypaw's fur bristled. "Stonepaw..." she began.

Stonepaw's ear twitched.

_Oh, that's just great, _Mosspaw thought, getting to her paws, _they've gotten into another argument. _"Come on, Mistypaw, let's go and leave Stonepaw to his grumpy self," Mosspaw meowed.

"Thanks, Mosspaw," Stonepaw meowed, ignoring the end of her comment. The same words soon came from Mousepaw and Runningpaw, who easily fell back asleep.

_Wish I could go back to sleep,_ Mosspaw thought.

"Don't worry," Mistypaw meowed, her eyes bright and shining. "We'll be back soon before you know it, and then you can go back to sleep, if the effect of the poppy seeds isn't gone by then."

Mosspaw muttered a half-thoughtful thanks, but really, she wished just as much as the other apprentices did, that her sister would _shut up for once!_

Mosspaw sighed as she padded over to Thistleclaw, who was standing with Thrushpelt, Robinwing, and Frostfur.

"You ready?" Thistleclaw asked.

Mosspaw nodded, not feeling comfortable under Thistleclaw's steady, unmoving gaze. _That's my mentor! _Mosspaw reminded herself. But that didn't comfort her at all; as a matter of fact, it made her feel worse by the moment, enough that the sickness in her stomach was beginning to fight against the numbing sleep in her mind.

"I'm hungry," Mistypaw confessed, clearly being as rabbit-blinded as usual. _She's so clueless sometimes! Wait, _Mosspaw quickly reminded herself, _no, all the time. No exceptions._

"Well, hurry up and eat, would you? The other Clans aren't going to wait for you to eat before they show up to make their scent-marks," Thistleclaw snapped. Then, he turned to Mosspaw again. "You hungry as well?"

"Not really," Mosspaw meowed, holding her gaze steady to his. _I can't keep this up...yes I can, I have to! _Mosspaw kept arguing with herself.

Within moments the poor mouse had been devoured by her sister. Mistypaw bounced up onto her paws. "Okay, let's go!"

Mosspaw twitched her tail as the patrol padded out of camp.

* * *

Mosspaw was trailing behind as the patrol moved forward. Her paws weren't moving as well as she would have liked them to—they were clearly stiff.

Robinwing must have noticed, for she was between Mosspaw and the patrol. At last, forcing her paws to move faster, she caught up with ginger-patched brown warrior.

"Robinwing, have you ever had a sense of...fear?" Mosspaw asked.

Robinwing stopped walking and stood still, looking her in the eyes. "Of Thistleclaw?" she asked.

Mosspaw forced herself to nod.

"Trust me, I know all about that. As an apprentice, he defeated a dog all on his own and when he was a young warrior he let his apprentice, Tigerclaw, who was Tigerpaw at the time, hurt his own son. That cat is dangerous, I'll tell you, but Sunstar is blinded by his own eyes—he doesn't notice a thing. I heard about what happened yesterday—Thistleclaw was bragging to me about it." Robinwing snorted. "I feel sorry for you, honestly. Now, let's keep going, before he notices we're gone," Robinwing added.

"Alright," Mosspaw agreed.

She forced herself to rush forward and soon found herself caught up with Mistypaw and Thrushpelt, as well as Frostfur and Thistleclaw.

"Where were you?" Thistleclaw snapped.

Mosspaw shuffled her paws, thinking of the perfect excuse. "I had to make dirt," she meowed, staring at the ground.

"And as a new apprentice, I couldn't leave her on her own," Robinwing added.

Thistleclaw nodded to Robinwing. "Good decision. If only ThunderClan had more warriors like you."

_They do! _Mosspaw exchanged a glance with Robinwing. If only Robinwing was her mentor, and not the Clan deputy! She knew she should have been lucky to have the Clan deputy as her mentor, but she still didn't like it, not one bit.

"Cats! I see cats!" Mistypaw cried excitedly.

Mosspaw sniffed the air. _Mousebrain! They're ShadowClan cats!_

"ShadowClan cats," Robinwing whispered in her ear.

"I know," Mosspaw whispered back. "One time Thistleclaw brought me out of camp while I was a kit."

"Ah." Robinwing nodded and padded to the border, being the oldest warrior of them all.

"Hello, Fawntail," Robinwing meowed coolly.

"Robinwing," Fawntail nodded back. "Meet my apprentice, Sparkpaw," the large pale-brown she-cat with tabby-striped paws pointed to a pale-ginger she-cat with light gray paws. "And these are Cloudpelt, Hollyflower, and Hollyflower's apprentice, Antpaw," then pointed to a white tom, a dark gray-and-white she-cat, and a small dark brown tom, clearly the apprentice.

Mosspaw twitched her ears; the stench of these ShadowClan cats had started to annoy her.

"Why do you smell so smelly?" Mistypaw asked.

_Mouse-brain! _Mosspaw wanted to claw her sister's ears off. Did her sister not have _any_ sense? At _all_?

Antpaw glared at the light gray apprentice. "You think we smell bad? Well, it's hard for _us _to have to smell _you_, you know! You hate our ShadowClan smell just as much as we hate your underground _stench_!"

"It's under_growth!_ Not under_ground_!" Mistypaw snapped.

"Stop it!" the large white tom meowed. "This is a pointless argument. Robinwing, Thistleclaw, I wish you would teach your apprentices to behave better."

_Now I'm getting scorned at and I didn't even do anything! _Mosspaw glared at her sister.

Thistleclaw looked over at Thrushpelt. "Blame Thrushpelt, not me. He's the father and mentor of that kit," Thistleclaw meowed.

"I'm not a kit!" Mistypaw spat.

"Mistypaw, just—_shut it_!" Mosspaw spat at her sister, slapping her tail over her sister's mouth so that her jaws wouldn't move and she wouldn't say anything stupider than she already had.

"She's got sense,you know; you should listen to her," the pale-ginger apprentice with light gray paws meowed.

"Yes; who is this apprentice?" Fawntail asked.

Mosspaw looked at Thistleclaw, who nodded to her. Mosspaw looked back, and said, "Mosspaw, apprentice of Thistleclaw."

"No wonder she behaves so much better!" the pale-ginger apprentice cried.

"Yeah, unlike her sister," the dark brown tom snickered.

"Hey! I heard that!" Mistypaw snapped between the fur on Mosspaw's tail. Disgusted, Mosspaw drew her tail back and slapped it against the grass to get rid of her sister's spit.

"Hey! Don't come onto our land!" the dark brown tom spat back as Mistypaw took a step onto the Thunderpath.

Mosspaw twitched her ears. If anything happened, it wasn't her fault.

Thistleclaw took a step forward. "Hollyflower, what are you doing on ThunderClan land?" the deputy snapped.

Mosspaw felt her fur rise. Hollyflower had run over the Thunderpath and started to take a walk around the edge of ThunderClan territory.

"Just taking a walk in my future territory," Hollyflower meowed.

"No! Attack!" Thistleclaw yowled, leaping at the she-cat, claws unsheathed.

_No!_ Mosspaw looked at Robinwing, who was fighting the annoying dark-brown tom. Mistypaw was fighting Sparkpaw, and Frostfur was fighting Cloudpelt.

_I have no one to attack,_ Mosspaw realized, settling to make herself feel comfortable. She wanted to watch Thistleclaw's fighting, but more importantly, she wanted to watch his actions.

She watched, horrified, as her mentor began ripping Hollyflower's fur off , thread by thread, blood drop by blood drop.

_No!_ Mosspaw was about to run forward to stop her mentor from murder when she heard a loud cry.

"Robinwing, no!"

Mosspaw whirled around and was horrified to see Robinwing lying in the middle of the Thunderpath with a monster stopped a couple of foxlengths away. A Twoleg began to get out of the monster.

"Run!" Hollyflower shrieked, running back onto her own territory and far into it as fast as possible, if not more.

"This has gone beyond a border skirmish," Thistleclaw spat.

Another monster came and Antpaw looked horrified as he tried to pick up Robinwing's body.

"I didn't mean...I didn't want...I didn't mean to..." Mosspaw could hear his whimpering. Had Antpaw killed Robinwing?

_No. It was the Twoleg monster,_ Mosspaw told herself. _It was, right? It couldn't have been Antpaw—no, no..._

"It was the monster!" Mistypaw cried, running over to Thrushpelt and pushing her nose into her father's fur. Thrushpelt's eyes glimmered with the pale tint of sorrow.

"Mother!" The grass was becoming wet and soggy from the tears of Robinwing's white-furred daughter. Frostfur didn't even seem to see the Thunderpath. Thistleclaw ran forward to keep Frostfur from running onto the Thunderpath where her mother's body was.

"Antpaw, watch out!" Mosspaw looked back to the Thunderpath to see Sparkpaw and Fawntail standing at the border of the Thunderpath, but Antpaw was frozen from head to tail-tip and was hit as another monster was racing across the Thunderpath, blue lights blinking very brightly.

"We have to get out of here! Now!" Thistleclaw cried. "Or we'll never make it! _Run for your lives!_"

Mosspaw watched as Antpaw's body went flying across the Thunderpath and landed right at Fawntail's paws.

_She doesn't deserve to see her Clanmate die like this. Antpaw didn't deserve to die like that. No one did._ Mosspaw felt her paws begin to tremble. _Why did it have to be _Robinwing_ who had to die? She was the only one who understood!_

"Come on!" Mistypaw hissed, running away as quick as she had hissed at Mosspaw.

Mosspaw chased after her sister. When they both got far enough away, they stopped.

"Antpaw didn't have to die like that," Mosspaw began.

"Are you kidding? A ShadowClan warrior is dead! Isn't this awesome?" Mistypaw exclaimed, her voice quivering with not fear, but excitement.

_Mistypaw! _Mosspaw wanted to knock some sense into her sister. _Why couldn't Mistypaw make some sense?_

* * *

**Icy: I'd love to stay and talk, but I've got to go, Heroes is on! Bye-bye, and see you whenever I update!**

**~Icy**


	12. Chapter 10: Mystified

**Icy: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a while! To make up for it—Oh yeah! I totally forgot about these next few chapters! Well, here's the other side of Mistypaw!**

**Mosspaw: (perks ears) Other side?**

**Icy: Yeah, last chapter you saw her as a carefree mouse-brain when she didn't give a tail about ShadowClan, but this chapter she isn't so happy...**

**Mistypaw: Wuzzat mean?**

**Icy: You'll see. You'll see...**

**Wingpaw: I hope so, 'cause you're confusing me.**

**Icy: Good. You need to be confused.**

**Wingpaw: Why? (eyes widen)**

**Icy: (laughs) Here's the chapter. Oh, and let me just add very briefly, that I just lol'd because I realized the chapter "Mystified" is in "Mistypaw"'s POV, so it would have been funnier if I spelled it "Mistified." Heh heh...**

**Mosspaw: Great StarClan... (facepalm) On with the chapter already!**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**Mystified**

* * *

Mistypaw watched contently as Thrushpelt slammed his claws onto a mouse's throat, killing it in an instant.

"Great catch." "Wonderful job!" "Fantastic!" Mistypaw thought about saying some of those phrases, but didn't. Instead, her mind was focused on something else.

Why didn't she, Stonepaw, or Mosspaw look like Thrushpelt? Mosspaw had Thrushpelt's green eyes, and Mistypaw had Bluefur's blue eyes, but no one in their family had amber eyes!

Thrushpelt looked at her through his amber eyes. "Well? Aren't you going to say something stupid?"

Mistypaw blinked. "Are you proud of me?"

Thrushpelt dropped the mouse from his jaws. "Of course I am, I'm your father for StarClan's sake."

_For StarClan's sake._ "Why are you not proud of me?" Mistypaw felt a longing for praise, especially after getting yelled at the previous day. "What have I done wrong?"

"You haven't done anything wrong! You did great in the battle yesterday!" Thrushpelt cried.

"No, you wish I hadn't had been there yesterday," Mistypaw spat. "You know it! No blood would have been spilled, and Robinwing wouldn't have died, if it weren't for me!"

Thrushpelt stiffened and Mistypaw caught it.

"See?! It's all my fault!"

"No, it's not! If StarClan thought so, they would have punished you!" Thrushpelt cried.

"Maybe they will, just not right now," Mistypaw's voice had an icy tone to it.

"But—it's not your fault, Mistypaw! Every apprentice makes mistakes! That's why you're _apprentices_, and not warriors! I did it, too!"

"No it's not! We're apprentices because Sunstar says we're too _young_, it's nothing to do with ability! Sure a mouse here or there would be nice, but whatever! It's just all about _time_ and _experience_, and nothing about skill! Swiftbreeze probably doesn't even know how to hunt!" Mistypaw spat.

"She does too know how to hunt!" Thrushpelt hissed.

"Sure, whatever." Mistypaw snorted.

"Whatever my tail! If you'd learn to keep that mouth of yours shut—"

"See? You're not proud of me!" Mistypaw didn't wait for Thrushpelt to reply. "You hate me," she said icily.

"Do not!

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

Mistypaw unsheathed her claws and took a step forward, lifting her paw to inform Thrushpelt of what was soon to happen. "Tell me the truth, Thrushpelt," Mistypaw hissed. "_T__ell me the truth!_"

Thrushpelt's green eyes were full of fear. "I—I..."

"See! Not only do you hate me, but you're also a coward!" Mistypaw spat, taking one last step forward before attacking...

"I'm not your father!" Thrushpelt cried.

Mistypaw let her paw fall onto the ground in astonishment. "What?"

"Yes, I'd like to know what you're talking about as well," Mistypaw recognized the voice immediately.

Mistypaw whirled around to see her mother's eyes sparkling with anger.

Mistypaw felt her fur began to bristle, her own eyes widening with fear.

_What have I done?_

* * *

**Icy: Don't worry, Mistypaw! This'll only last three more chapters!**

**Flarepaw: Seriously?**

**Icy: (nods) Seriously.**

**Wingpaw: Then what happens?**

**Mosspaw: Yes, we characters would like to know as well.**

**Icy: (smiles an evil smile) Ask Stonepaw. Or Thistleclaw.**

**Mistypaw: (confused) Stonepaw or Thistleclaw? What an odd combo.**

**Icy: Ah, not really.**

**Mosspaw: How so?**

**Stonepaw: (shuffles paws)**

**Icy: (smirks) You'll just have to wait like everyone else. To those of you who I gave a preview of chapter 14 to, please don't say anything. That would take the fun away. :)**

**Flarepaw: Try to update soon?**

**Wingpaw: PLEASE! We don't know what happens in this story!**

**Flarepaw: (whispers to Wingpaw) You know...we could always sneak onto Icy's laptop and look at the outline in excel...**

**Icy: (yells) STOP RIGHT THERE! That's enough of that conspiracy. Well, I'll try to update soon. See you then!**

**~Icy**


	13. Chapter 11: Secret

**Icy: So, uh...this sure is soon, isn't it? (looks at fanfiction) Last update was, uh...November 28...one of my last few comments...update soon...hmm...this sure is soon, isn't it?**

**Mosspaw: ...Yeah, pretty soon, isn't it?**

**Icy: Very, I'd say.**

**Mistypaw: (grabs hammer) YOU FREAKIN' FOOL!**

**Icy: I wouldn't hurt me if I were you, Mistypaw.**

**Mistypaw: Too bad you're not me.**

**Icy: I can always make you die sooner than you're meant to.**

**Mistypaw: (gasps) Err, uh... (backs away slowly)**

**Icy: (smiles, then nods in approval) That's more like it. So, here's the _epicly-long-awaited_ chapter. Dang it, Open Office, I don't care if epicly is a word or not.**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**Secret**

* * *

Stonepaw slowly crept across the ground with a mouse in his sights. He jumped at it, but it saw him and fled. _Mouse-dung!_ He thought in frustration.

Stormtail padded over to him, a shrew in his jaws. He set it down. "I see you're hunting quite nicely," Stormtail told him. "You've missed every piece of prey today."

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong," Stonepaw spat at his mentor. "It'd be nice if you told me instead of going off to hunt on your own."

"Well, _someone_ has to feed and provide for the Clan," Stormtail told him.

"Yes, but I could too if you'd tell me what I'm doing wrong! There are other hunting patrols, and mentors are supposed to _teach_ their apprentices, not _watch_!" Stonepaw snapped.

Stormtail turned to glare at him. "Are you calling me a bad mentor?"

"No, but I'm telling you how to be better..." Stonepaw broke off as Stormtail's eyes were raging in fury.

"You call yourself so great," Stormtail growled, "but you haven't caught a thing today!"

Stonepaw flattened his ears. Distracting himself from his failures, he blinked as his his jaws changed the topic before his mind could tell them not to.

"Why is your name Storm_tail_? It's odd for, for a..."

"For a tom?" Stormtail snapped. "It's because Pinestar named me that, and quite frankly there's nothing wrong with my name. The only thing that has a problem is your head! Why can't you just hunt and not ask stupid questions?"

"Maybe because I keep missing all of the prey because you won't tell me in what I'm doing wrong?" Stonepaw tipped his head to the side.

Stormtail narrowed his eyes, looking away from Stonepaw. Stonepaw began to think, _I wonder if he's proud to be my grandfather. Is he proud to be a grandfather at all? Is he proud to be a father at all? He certainly doesn't seem like the fatherly type, and he most definitely isn't the mentor type..._

"Stormtail, are you proud to be my grandfather?" Stonepaw asked Stormtail loudly.

"Fox-dung!" Stormtail hissed before turning around to angrily glare at Stonepaw. "Did you not see that water vole I was hunting?"

"What water vole?" Stonepaw asked. "No..."

"Clearly not," Stormtail spat. "Was that really necessary? Your stupid questions are going to keep my clanmates starving. Now shut up and try to possibly catch something by yourself." Stormtail whirled around and sped off after another water vole.

Stonepaw flattened his hears. _I guess that's a no,_ he thought disappointedly, his tail swishing back and forth across the rocks. _I wonder if Bluefur is proud of me...since Stormtail obviously isn't..._

Stonepaw sighed. He would ask Stormtail if he could go see Bluefur, but he'd probably say no, and besides, Stormtail wasn't even around. Stonepaw lifted his head to scent the air for prey, and smelled mouse. He ran to the scent, only to find that he had scared the mouse away.

_Get back here!_ He thought angrily, running quickly, but with a rhythm that harshly slammed against the ground in every step. The mouse was running away from him, but Stonepaw sped up and slammed his paws against the mouse's head, crushing its head and killing it.

Stonepaw took a step back. _Well, I've caught something, but I'm not sure if it's edible with its head squished like that,_ Stonepaw thought, his own ears twitching. His tail fell to the ground, and he flattened his ears. _Bluefur always said that I was a natural at the hunting crouch! So how come I can't catch anything?_

Stonepaw grabbed the mouse by its crushed head. _I may as well take _something_ back to camp, whether it be pretty or not._

Stonepaw scented the air again. Most of what he could smell was mouse. He dropped his mouse so that he could scent the air and he scented it again. He recognized the scents. _Bluefur! And I think Thrushpelt and Mistypaw, too!_

Forgetting all about the mouse, he ran as fast as he could to where they were at. When he arrived, he skidded to a halt, his ears flattening against the wind. Stonepaw was in the bushes. He was sure he'd made lots of noise, but no one seemed to notice him. _Still. I know I'm not great or anything, but with as much noise as I made you could at least say hi, or scold me for being so loud!_

Stonepaw watched through the bushes as Bluefur began to arch her back. She hissed at Thrushpelt.

Stonepaw padded forward through the bushes to stand beside his sister Mistypaw, who had been right in front of the bushes. Testing the fact that they still hadn't gotten over their previous argument, he asked, "What's going on?"

Mistypaw's eyes were wide with terror, and all she whispered to him was, "Don't ask."

Stonepaw flattened his ears yet again. _No one _still _pays attention to me!_

Stonepaw, angered that no one would pay attention to him, and confused of what was going on around him, flicked his tail impatiently against the ground.

Bluefur hissed again. But then, she growled at him.

"You revealed the secret."

* * *

**Icy: And there we go. I'd talk, but I don't know how much longer I have before I leave to a friend's house. Fourth of July is normally hectic, but it's been calm so far for me, thankfully enough.**

**Stonepaw: We. Don't. Care.**

**Icy: Well, I'm sure someone out there does, enjoying reading about my life that I'm telling them about. Of course, they probably aren't even reading this, Stonepaw, so in your face.**

**Mosspaw: You just got _busted_!**

**Stonepaw: (twitches ears) Really? Where?**

**Mosspaw: In your face, obviously! She even said _"in your face"_, so obviously in your face.**

**Stonepaw: (tips head to the side) Dude, you're confusing me.**

**Mosspaw: Yeah, you just got learned.**

**Icy: Oh wow, epic lol. Anyways, I updated this story! Yay! ****(takes a few sips of Dr. Pepper) Right, I'm going to end this AN here before it gets out of control. I may update sometime in the next month, I may update next week, I may update next year, or next millennium. I have no clue, and I'm not making any promises like I did in November. (cough) That said, thanks for reading.**

**~Icy**


	14. Chapter 12: Family

**Icy: Well...it's been a while, uh...**

**Wingpaw: Can you do me a huge favor and say something much more intelligent than that?**

**Icy: I was getting to it!**

**Flarepaw: Geez! You sure are rude and snappy to someone whose story you took off of fanfiction. Now no one knows who I am!**

**Wingpaw: No one knows our stories!**

**Icy: It's fine. You're still my best friends. And what do best friends do?**

**Wingpaw: They're so much different from regular friends. A regular friend would help you explain why you've been gone for so long from this story.**

**Flarepaw: But best friends like us are going to keep nagging at you until you give us a new story.**

**Icy: (ignores Flarepaw) Okay, well, here's some advice for everyone. How about letting me get a word in edgewise? I have some serious information I need to relay to my readers. First things first, I haven't updated this story since July 4th 2010. That's a _long_ time ago. It's November 5th 2012 today. _Big_ difference. It's been two years and four months, and a day, since I've updated this story. I think this update is long overdue.**

**Mistypaw: But it's here. The update. You're updating us? Are we making a comeback?**

**Icy: I think so.**

**Stonepaw: ****Why come back now?**

**Icy: Someone PM'd me about this story and I felt inclined to read it again. Now I feel like I need to update it because I've wanted to finish this story for two years now and haven't gotten to it. I suddenly feel like I can. How long this feeling will last? No idea. Take advantage of it while you can.**

**Mosspaw: Point taken.**

**Stonepaw: Putting Wingpaw and Flarepaw's silence aside, isn't this AN getting to be extremely long?**

**Icy: You're right, it is. Before this AN can get lost anywhere else, here's chapter twelve! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

**Family**

* * *

Mosspaw's paws itched as she sat in the middle of the camp. It was already sunhigh and she had yet to receive any orders from her mentor. Where was Thistleclaw at?

Suddenly, and at last, her mentor came out of Sunstar's den. He quickly ran over to her.

"Mosspaw, good morning," he meowed abruptly.

"Good morning to you, too," Mosspaw meowed awkwardly. _He seems a lot kinder this morning...has he forgotten about what happened at the trees? The incident at the Thunderpath sure seems to have been a good distraction..._

"Have you been waiting out here very long?" Thistleclaw asked.

"No," Mosspaw replied. _I really haven't. I was worried I'd be late when I woke up so late. Those poppy seeds sure do last a long time!_ Mosspaw had secretly been relieved when she realized Thistleclaw had not been waiting for her.

"Good. I'm sorry that I didn't wake you up earlier to tell you, but I just found out," Thistleclaw explained.

"Just found out what?" Mosspaw asked.

"I'm accompanying Sunstar to Highstones today on a special mission," Thistleclaw explained. "You get the day off today. You can join some sort of patrol tomorrow. You can go hunting or something today if you want, but otherwise you've got the day off. Don't stress yourself too much. I know how painful Robinwing's death must have been for you. After all, you seemed to take a liking to her."

Mosspaw respectfully dipped her head. "Thank you, Thistleclaw. Good luck."

"Thanks, Mosspaw. Take care," Thistleclaw meowed before running off to the camp entrance, where he met Sunstar. Mosspaw realized that Sunstar had left his den and had been watching the entire time as Thistleclaw had said goodbye to her.

_He sure is being awfully nice to me,_ Mosspaw couldn't help but think. _Why? Is it because Sunstar was watching the whole time? Or is he actually sympathetic about losing Robinwing?_

Mosspaw gasped as she remembered a story she had heard from Larksong. It had been about Snowfur, Thistleclaw's mate. Snowfur just happened to be Mosspaw's aunt as well. Snowfur had been hit by a monster and Thistleclaw had taken the loss of his mate harshly. Mosspaw wondered if Robinwing's death, caused by the same thing as Snowfur's death, reminded Thistleclaw of his mate's death.

_Maybe he actually is sympathetic..._

"Hey, Mosspaw." Mosspaw jumped. She hadn't seen Mousepaw and Runningpaw pad over to her.

"Hey Mousepaw. Hey Runningpaw," Mosspaw meowed. She would have added more but it would have been pointless because both of the younger apprentices' jaws were filled with moss. Mosspaw twitched her whiskers as she added the scent of mouse bile to the balls of moss.

Mosspaw shrugged it off. _So...I've got the day off...what am I going to do with it?_

Mosspaw turned and watched Mousepaw and Runningpaw exit the camp through the camp entrance. _I could help them...but I'd rather not...I guess I could listen to elders' stories, but I'm not a kit anymore so I'd rather not..._ She turned and glanced at the medicine cat den. _I could talk to Featherwhisker about some of the things he said, but I'd rather not...I don't want to chance meeting Goosefeather in there..._ She looked down at the fresh-kill pile. _It's kind of small...I guess I'll go hunting!_

* * *

Mosspaw chased a finch through the some trees and came close to catching it. As she crouched down to leap it at her hind paw stepped on a leaf and the finch flew up high in the air where she would never reach it. Silently cursing to herself, Mosspaw slapped her tail against the ground in frustration. She stopped, however, as she recognized the scents of her mother, father, and siblings in the wind that was blowing against her. She padded through a few fronds and quickly entered the clearing her family was in.

Bluefur closed her jaws as she finished some sort of statement that Mosspaw hadn't heard. Based on the faces of her siblings, it hadn't been a very nice one.

Thrushpelt opened his jaws to speak. A crow cawed in the distance and the sun suddenly crept behind the clouds, leaving the shadows to cover Mosspaw and her siblings as they all waited to Thrushpelt to speak.

"I had to, Bluefur! She was going to kill me!"

Mosspaw's eyes widened. Only a single word made through her shock to her thoughts.

_Who?_

* * *

**Icy: And let's end it here.**

**Mosspaw: That was short.**

**Icy: Sorry. It's the best I could do with what I was given in the outline.**

**Mistypaw: You should have done a better job with the outline then.**

**Icy: Do you have any idea how much my writing style has changed in two years? What may have seemed like a lot two years ago feels like nothing now. For example, I decided to go back and "proofread" and "revise" all of this story so far. There were so many extra commas in random places that I had to delete...it was so frustrating...Also, there were some things that were just worded strangely. I struggled to understand a couple of them, honestly. Needless to say they were edited to fit an understandable form in the eyes of all the readers. And now we make it to present day.**

**Stonepaw: Where you can finally finish your long paragraph and get on with uploading this onto FF while you still have time before you go to bed.**

**Icy: Yes. That needs to happen before I fall asleep. Don't worry, though. I understand this chapter was painfully short and painfully boring.**

**Flarepaw: Boring it was indeed.**

**Wingpaw: You should do something about that.**

**Icy: What's done has been done. Besides, why are you suddenly speaking after vowing to keep quiet?**

**Flarepaw: It was too annoying to keep quiet about!**

**Wingpaw: Plus, I got bored!**

**Icy: (bursts out laughing) Oh man, I've missed these entertaining conversations. Anyway****, I've got to finish this here because I need to get to bed soon. I hope to update soon! Sorry about the two-year absence!**** Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	15. Chapter 13: Forgiveness

**Wingpaw: Hi, kids! Are you ready for chapter thirteen?**

**Flarepaw: Get ready cause here it is!**

**Icy: (stares awkwardly at Wingpaw and Flarepaw) Right, um...putting their strangeness aside, uh...I'm updating two days in a row! Yay! Aren't you guys so proud of me?**

**Mistypaw: It's amazing...**

**Stonepaw: It really is...**

**Mosspaw: (wipes away tear drop)**

**Icy: Alright, well, let's get to it before this AN gets too long! Enjoy chapter thirteen!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Forgiveness**

* * *

"I had to, Bluefur! She was going to kill me!"

Mistypaw immediately felt regret and guilt as her mentor and supposed-to-be father closed his jaws. She shuffled her blue-gray paws.

"Whoa, what? What in the name of StarClan is going on?" Mosspaw exclaimed.

"Thrushpelt revealed some sort of secret to Mistypaw, but that's all I know," Stonepaw answered her. His eyes glimmered with worry. "I don't even know what the secret is, though."

"So who was trying to kill Thrushpelt?" Mosspaw asked.

Mistypaw glanced at her mother, who was still. Bluefur's gaze was fixed on Thrushpelt. Mistypaw sheathed her claws.

"I'm sorry, Thrushpelt," Mistypaw meowed, taking it up to fill the silence that had been started by her sister's question. "I got carried away with my anger."

"It happens," Stonepaw meowed encouragingly. "Even to the best of us."

"Best of us?" Mistypaw retorted to her brother. "Is that your explanation for why you're angry all the time?"

Stonepaw glared at her. "I'm always angry because—"

"Stop it!" Mosspaw snapped. "For StarClan's sake, can you two ever stop arguing?"

"Sometimes..." Mistypaw muttered in self-defense.

Mosspaw sighed. "Mistypaw, what exactly is this _secret_, anyway?"

Mistypaw glanced at Thrushpelt, whose eyes widened again at the possibility of the secret being exposed again. Then she glanced at Bluefur, whose silence was only explained by the fiery fury in her deep blue gaze.

"Thrushpelt said he's not our father," Mistypaw meowed slowly. Stonepaw gasped. Mosspaw's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, Bluefur," Thrushpelt meowed. "Please forgive me. My life was in danger."

Mistypaw turned away from her siblings back to her mother and mentor. "I'm sorry, Bluefur. My anger got the best of me. Please forgive Thrushpelt."

Bluefur blinked. The fire in her eyes was fading away. She forced a smile.

"I forgive you, Thrushpelt."

The air around them seemed to thin out as they all relaxed a bit. Bluefur's anger was gone.

_Thank you, StarClan,_ Mistypaw thought.

"So..." Stonepaw meowed, breaking the awkward silence. "If Thrushpelt isn't our father...then who is?"

"Um..." Mosspaw began, but Mistypaw interrupted her.

"Stonepaw! Why would you ask that?" Mistypaw asked. "Are you trying to make Bluefur angry again?"

"I'm surprised you didn't ask it first!" Stonepaw countered her argument.

"Plus you just revealed we were all scared of Bluefur's anger more than we were the fact that Thrushpelt isn't our father..." Mosspaw put in.

"Calm down, all of you," Thrushpelt meowed. "We can explain."

"It's quite simple, really," Bluefur put in.

"Then explain it!" Mosspaw snapped. "It doesn't sound as simple as you say it is!"

"Wow you all sure do take us seriously," Bluefur meowed. She purred in amusement.

"What?" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Mistypaw asked.

"Of course Thrushpelt is your father! Who else would it be?" Bluefur explained.

"But..." Mosspaw trailed off. Mistypaw figured she couldn't find the words to explain her confusion.

"Thrushpelt was just starting a game," Bluefur meowed. "It did prove to be a good distraction from your anger, didn't it, Mistypaw?"

"Y—yeah..." Mistypaw stammered.

"I decided to play along after seeing just how angry you were," Bluefur meowed. "Perhaps we took it too far, though."

"Definitely," Thrushpelt agreed. His amber gaze lit back up.

"Game's over," Bluefur meowed. "You all lost sincerely."

Mistypaw exchanged a quick glance with her siblings. Stonepaw seemed content. Mosspaw seemed quite the opposite of content. Mistypaw wasn't sure what she herself felt.

"Let's get back to camp," Bluefur meowed.

Mistypaw sighed in relief. _It was a game,_ she convinced herself. One she was fully convinced she calmed herself down. _It's all okay,_ she thought. _It was just a game..._

Mistypaw looked up at the sky. The clouds formed the shape of a cat. Well, mostly a cat. The cloud-cat's tail was almost entirely cut off and one of the ears was missing.

_What a strange shape for the clouds to form,_ Mistypaw couldn't help but think. _Oh well._ She shrugged. She turned to follow her siblings and realized they had left. Only Thrushpelt stayed to wait for her.

"Wait for me!" Mistypaw cried, running up to her father.

"Don't worry, Mistypaw," Thrushpelt meowed. "I'll always be there for you."

"Thanks, Thrushpelt," Mistypaw meowed.

"I'm always proud of you, even if it doesn't seem like it," Thrushpelt added. "I promise."

"Really?" Mistypaw asked.

"Really," Thrushpelt replied. "Do you forgive me?"

"I forgive you," Mistypaw replied.

"Awesome," Thrushpelt meowed. "Now let's get back to camp and get a couple pieces of fresh-kill before it's time to go to sleep."

"Alright," Mistypaw meowed. She happily followed her mentor as they padded back to camp.

* * *

**Flarepaw: Aww...they're a happy father—daughter couple again.**

**Wingpaw: That's so touching...**

**Icy: This chapter isn't much longer, but I think it is a little longer at least.**

**Mosspaw: I think updating two days in a row is amazing enough for us. Forget about length.**

**Mistypaw: Think? Don't think. Know.**

**Stonepaw: It is _definitely_ amazing enough for us. Thank you so much, Icy!**

**Icy: It's no problem. I had the day off from school so I had plenty of time. Plus, I'm procrastinating. I don't want to finish the last five chapters of The Scarlet Letter. It's so boring... (trails off and works hard to keep self from crying)**

**Wingpaw: Aww... Icy, don't cry...**

**Flarepaw: Be happy. Go to Spark Notes and read it quickly.**

**Icy: That's what I planned on doing anyway.**

**Flarepaw: Surely it won't take very long then!**

**Icy: Can I just say mwuhahahaha to everyone who thought Misty, Stone, and Moss would find out who their real father is in this chapter? Psyche!**

**Mistypaw: Wait a minute...but it was just a game!**

**Icy: Or was it?**

**Wingpaw/Flarepaw: Dun dun dun!**

**Mistypaw: What? (WTF face; there's just no better way of saying it)**

**Icy: Hey! This AN is getting kind of long. I'm leaving before anything else can happen! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next time!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	16. Chapter 14: Redemption

**Mistypaw: Chapter Fourteen! Yay!**

**Mosspaw: We've been waiting on this one for a long time!**

**Wingpaw: We have?**

**Flarepaw: What's so special about it?**

**Stonepaw: A long time ago some people got a preview for it. Supposedly, according to Icy, this chapter really starts moving the plot along. It moves everything forward a good bit.**

**Wingpaw: Is it really that important?**

**Stonepaw: Yep!**

**Flarepaw: So that's what so special about it?**

**Stonepaw: Well, there is that, but it's _really_ special cause it's in _my_ POV...**

**Wingpaw/Flarepaw: (facepalm)**

**Icy: (sigh) Well, before this AN explodes into something really long and unnecessary, let's just go ahead and start the chapter, shall we? I think it's going to be a bit longer than usual, so yay!**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Redemption**

* * *

"Now jump!"

The gray tom crouched down and immediately leaped upwards just in time to dodge the attack of his gray-and-white sister. He landed back down just in time to successfully pin her down.

"Give up yet?" he asked.

"Fine," Mosspaw growled in reply. "You win."

Stonepaw let his siter go. She shook her pelt and spat out the sand that was in her mouth. Her green eyes betrayed her anger.

"So how'd I do?" Stonepaw asked.

"I can't believe I lost!" Mosspaw exclaimed in reply. "I never thought you'd win!"

"So I did good, then?" Stonepaw asked.

"You did great," Mosspaw replied. "You've gotten a lot better over this past quarter-moon."

It had been a quarter-moon since the ordeal with their parents' game. Stormtail had grown impatient with Stonepaw's constant failure so he had gone on patrols and left Stonepaw either with Thrushpelt and Mistypaw or Thistleclaw and Mosspaw. Stonepaw had wondered if Thistleclaw would report what Stormtail had done to Sunstar, but the deputy didn't seem to care. Thrushpelt and Mistypaw had helped Stonepaw greatly improve his hunting skills. Thistleclaw had worked with him one-on-one and let Mosspaw go hunting on her own so he could help him with the basics that had confused him. Now Thistleclaw was letting Stonepaw and Mosspaw practice together on their own while he went on border patrol. Later, after the patrol, he, Thrushpelt, and Mistypaw were going to join their training session. Thistieclaw had promised to try and get Stormtail to come with them to see Stonepaw's improvement.

"Don't worry, Stonepaw. I'm sure that after Stormtail sees how much you've improved he'll want to train you again," Mospaw meowed encouragingly. "Once he sees that it _is_ possible for you to improve, I think he'll strive to be the one to help you get even further."

"You really think so?" Stonepaw asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Mosspaw replied. "Now come on, let's try another move..."

* * *

"So give me a good reason as to why I'm here when I could be doing something useful, such as being on patrol," Stormtail demanded.

"You have an apprentice to mentor," Thistleclaw replied.

"He's improved a lot in this past quarter-moon," Thrushpelt put in.

"I've gotten a lot better!" Stonepaw insisted. "Please, Stormtail, please mentor me again."

"I'm sorry, but I think there are better uses of my time," Stormtail meowed.

"Then let me prove it to you!" Stonepaw begged. "Let's have a mock battle. If I win will you mentor me again?"

"Sure," Stormtail replied. "After all, there's not a chance of you beating me."

"Prepare to be proved wrong," Stonepaw meowed coolly.

Stonepaw and Stormtail took their positions in the sandy clearing. Thrushpelt, Mistypaw, Thistleclaw, and Mosspaw stood to the side of the clearing, making sure to give Stonepaw and Stormtail plenty of room.

_You can do this, Stonepaw,_ he thought to himself. _Don't freak out. Just do what you do best. Bluefur always said you were a natural. You struggled in the beginning, but with some hard work you've done a fine job. You can do this. You can prove yourself._

Stonepaw lifted his head.

"Ready?" Stormtail asked.

_You can do this._

Stonepaw nodded.

_Just do what you've always done._

"I'm ready," he meowed back to his mentor.

_Succeed. Battle. Follow your instincts._

"Make sure you keep your claws sheathed!" Thrushpelt put in.

_Redeem yourself._

"Start!" Thistleclaw yowled.

_Follow the path to redemption. Prove that you can indeed succeed in becoming the best warrior there ever was._

Stormtail immediately leaped forward and lashed at him with his front paws. Stonepaw easily stepped to the side and jumped over onto his mentor. He easily pinned him down. Stormtail shook from side to side as hard as he could in attempt to get Stonepaw to fall off but Stonepaw kept a firm hold.

"You've got a strong grip," Stormtail hissed through gritted teeth.

"Give up yet?" Stonepaw asked. He loosened his grip just slightly, which proved to be enough for Stormtail. Stormtail gave a final shove and sent Stonepaw flying. Stonepaw landed on his back. Stormtail didn't waste any time in jumping at him. Stonepaw rolled over and dodged the attack. He jumped to his paws as Stormtail finished landing on all fours. Making the smallest of moments last the longest, Stonepaw took advantage of his precious time and lashed out at his mentor. He slammed down on his mentor's head with a sheathed paw. He would have sliced his right ear in half if his paws hadn't been sheathed. Stormtail shook his head to try and clear it, but Stonepaw was too fast for him. Stonepaw leaped and pinned down his mentor before he could get back up. Stormtail groaned in annoyance as he realized his defeat.

"How about now?" Stonepaw asked.

"Fine, fine," Stormtail meowed exasperatedly. "You win, now let me go."

Stonepaw immediately leaped off of his mentor.

"You won!" Mistypaw cried out in joy. "Yay!"

"Good job!" Thrushpelt agreed.

"I told you you could do it," Mosspaw reminded him.

"That was great," Thistleclaw agreed.

"I must admit that was a good battle," Stormtail meowed. "You've improved a lot. I'm sorry I haven't been with you the past quarter-moon to see this improvement first-handed. I'm looking forward to seeing you improve even more."

_Yes!_

"Thank you, Stormtail," Stonepaw meowed. He respectfully dipped his head.

"Oh, there's already a big crowd here." They turned to see Adderfang, Mousepaw, Bluefur, and Runningpaw.

"Hi Mom!" Mistypaw meowed excitedly.

"Hey Bluefur!" Stonepaw meowed. He, however, was a lot calmer about it than his sister was.

"Hello, Bluefur," Mosspaw meowed. She wasn't near as loud as Mistypaw and Stonepaw were, though.

_How is she always so calm about things? _Stonepaw wondered to himself. _She and Mistypaw are quite the opposites...so where do I fit in?_

"What were you practicing?" Bluefur asked curiously as she padded over.

_I guess I fit in the middle,_ Stonepaw replied to himself. _I keep my sisters in check._

"Stonepaw and I had a mock battle. He's improved quite a bit in the past quarter-moon," Stormtail meowed. "He's doing really well."

_Who am I kidding? Mosspaw keeps Mistypaw and I in check. We argue so often..._

"Really?" Bluefur asked. "Thrushpelt tells me you haven't been training him recently. Why?"

"Well..."

"Nevermind, Stormtail," Bluefur sighed. "Just as long as Stonepaw is learning what he's supposed to, I don't care who he learns it from."

"Um, sorry to interrupt, but I'm sure Mousepaw and Runningpaw would like to train, too," Adderfang put in.

"Of course," Thrushpelt meowed. "Sorry."

"So what did you want to do?" Stormtail asked.

"We wanted to work on group battles," Bluefur replied. "Would you be willing to help us?"

"We could have the warriors on one team and the apprentices on another," Adderfang put in.

"That's a good idea," Thrushpelt meowed.

"It's sounds like fun!" Mistypaw exclaimed. "Let's do it!"

"That's fine by me," Mosspaw meowed.

"What about us?" Stonepaw asked Stormtail.

"I want you to work with Thistleclaw right now," Stormtail meowed. "I think you're ready for some more advanced moves. You can come back and work on group battles later," he added.

"Okay," Stonepaw meowed. He attempted to stay calm, but he was actually excited. He was moving on to some advanced moves!

"I'll take Thistleclaw's place in this big group," Stormtail meowed.

"Come on, Stonepaw," Thistleclaw meowed, padding over to the side of the clearing.

"Coming!" Stonepaw meowed. He ran over as quick as he could so he wouldn't keep the deputy waiting. When he got over there Thistleclaw told him to rest for a minute and truly recover from the mock battle before they moved in the training.

Stonepaw watched as Adderfang and Bluefur demonstrated a basic move to Mousepaw and Runningpaw. Mistypaw and Mosspaw were watching to make sure their basics hadn't deteriorated after moving into more complicated moves.

"Stonepaw," Thistleclaw meowed quietly so he wouldn't disturb the big group.

Stonepaw turned around. "I'm ready."

"I actually wanted to talk to you first," Thistleclaw meowed.

"Okay...what's up?" Stonepaw asked.

"What I'm about to tell you is a secret...can you keep it?" Thistleclaw asked it.

"Of course," Stonepaw replied. "What is it?"

"I'm planning a rebellion against Sunstar," Thistleclaw replied. "He is leading ThunderClan to become weak. I always fight for what is mine, but Sunstar would rather give everything away than see a drop of blood shed." He paused to let the information sink in before continuing. "I need a deputy that has as much fighting skill as I do. I want you to be that deputy, Stonepaw. You can have any warrior name you want. You can choose whichever warrior name you desire. So, Stonepaw, do you accept my offer? Will you be my deputy? Will you join my rebellion?"

Stonepaw didn't hesitate to answer.

"Are you crazy? Why do you have to ask? Of course I will! Count me in!"

* * *

**Flarepaw: Stonepaw, what? What are you doing?**

**Wingpaw: No! What is happening to the world as we know it?**

**Icy: Aww, look at Stonepaw growing up. Mistypaw continues to be the loud and naive character and Mosspaw continues to be the quiet, calm, and collected character. Stonepaw, however, is changing from a more Mistypaw-like character to a more Mosspaw-like character. Well, except for the whole becoming-friends-with-Thistleclaw thing, of course...**

**Mistypaw: What a cliffhanger!**

**Mosspaw: It's crazy...**

**Stonepaw: I don't see what the big deal is...**

**Mosspaw: Of course you don't! It's your decision!**

**Mistypaw: To the rest of us it's quite frightening and alarming!**

**Wingpaw: It was such a surprise...**

**Flarepaw: I wasn't expecting it...**

**Icy: Well, we can either listen to this all night or we can end the chapter here before the AN gets too long. I'm choosing option two. So, good night (or good morning to those reading this in the morning) readers! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Look forward to the next one!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	17. Chapter 15: Blood in the Ravine

**Wingpaw: Icy, what's taken you so long? Why haven't you updated in a few days?**

**Flarepaw: You better not go back to the thing in which you only update a couple of times and then have another extremely long wait.**

**Icy: Don't worry, Wingpaw, Flarepaw, that's not happening. I've just been really busy lately. I only had time to update RUTH on Thursday, on Friday I didn't have time to update cause I was hanging out with my family, and yesterday I was hanging out with my friends. I can't let fanfic rule my life, you know. I have a life outside of fanfic and I'd appreciate it if you'd let me live said life without bothering me so often.**

**Wingpaw: Yeah. Geez, Flarepaw.**

**Flarepaw: You were right with me in complaining!**

**Wingpaw: (looks away)**

**Mosspaw: (sigh) So, following the natural pattern, this chapter should be my POV...**

**Icy: Nope.**

**Mosspaw: (gasp) What?**

**Mistypaw: It's my POV! Yay!**

**Mosspaw: But why...? (starts getting teary eyed)**

**Icy: Don't worry, Mosspaw. Our dear, mischievous, Mistypaw will be out of your way soon enough.**

**Mosspaw: What?**

**Mistypaw: What?**

**Icy: Oh, did I say that? Whoops... (looks away)**

**Mistypaw: I'm really curious now...**

**Mosspaw: Hey, look at the time! This AN is getting really long, so let's...**

**Stonepaw: Start the chapter!**

**Mosspaw: (glares)**

**Stonepaw: Don't think you're starting it without me getting to say something!**

**Mistypaw: For StarClan's sake just start the chapter already!**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Blood in the Ravine**

* * *

"I can't believe it's just us! I'm so happy! We get to patrol the borders all on our own today! This is so special! I'm feel so honored, Thrushpelt! I wonder why Thistleclaw sent just the two of us, though...It sure is strange...Oh! I know! It must be in celebration! Now that Stormtail is mentoring Stonepaw again, who has gotten so much better at everything, and by everything I do mean everything, we can have our one-on-one training sessions again without assisting Stonepaw with his hunting skills! Isn't this great? But think about it! We helped Stonepaw! _I_ helped Stonepaw improve his hunting skills! I feel so special! It's like I'm a mentor already! Stonepaw and I haven't even had any arguments since then! Isn't that great? What do you think, Thrushpelt?" Mistypaw chatted away.

"I think it's a miracle there aren't any patrols from the other Clans right now," Thrushpelt retorted, "because I'd be really embarrassed if there were."

"I love our borders!" Mistypaw exclaimed, continuing to chat away; she hadn't noticed Thrushpelt's remark was a subtle attempt to get her to stop. "This one spot is just amazing! I mean, yes, we've got rivers surrounding us, but we can easily get to RiverClan and WindClan from here! And then we can get to ShadowClan easily from the other side of our territory! That's so awesome! I mean, yeah, sure, the Thunderpath is hard to cross, and I don't exactly know how to swim or anything, but I think it's just fantastic that we can get to all of the other three territories from our territory! It'd make it so easy for an invasion! We'd have the advantage during an attack!"

"No we wouldn't. We'd have the disadvantage because everyone can attack us easier," Thrushpelt meowed.

"That's just one of the cons," Mistypaw meowed encouragingly. "There's so many pros though!"

Thrushpelt sighed. He opened his jaws to say something but then stopped mid-breath. He pointed his tail to a crow that was resting on the branch of a tree. It bounced off and started flying away. Thrushpelt chased after it in pursuit. Mistypaw normally would have helped him chase after it, being the "amazing" hunter she was, but today Mistypaw had other plans. She turned around and looked at the river. The stones were small, but not too small for Mistypaw, who was still a young apprentice. Taking her chances, she did a run-and-jump onto the first stone. She almost slid off of it. She scrambled onto the next stone and quickly forced herself to jump over to the next one before she lost her footing. She did so again and again until she found herself on the other side of the river.

"Phew!" she exclaimed when she was on the other side.

_I've always wanted to see another Clan's territory, _she thought to herself, _and now I can! Yes! I wonder why I chose RiverClan first, though..._

Shrugging and turning away from the river, she began to pad forward when she heard a meow.

"Who are you and what are you doing on RiverClan territory?"

Mistypaw whirled around to find a reddish-brown tom with amber eyes.

"U—uh...I—I...I'm Mistypaw," Mistypaw stammered.

"I'm Oakheart," the reddish-brown tom greeted her kindly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, Mistypaw," he added, "so you don't have to stammer. You can talk normally."

"Okay..." Mistypaw still wasn't convinced.

"Who is your mother?" Oakheart asked her. He started padding over to her.

"Why...?" Mistypaw asked.

"You remind me of someone, but I can't remember who. You're a ThunderClan apprentice, aren't you?" Oakheart added, taking a seat next to her. "You sure smell like it."

"Yeah; my mother is Bluefur," Mistypaw replied.

"So I was right," Oakheart muttered. He began gently stroking Mistypaw's spine with his tail-tip. It was meant to be a kind gesture, but Mistypaw took it the wrong way.

Mistypaw jumped back. "What in the name of StarClan? I don't know you!" she spat. Without thinking, she unsheathed her claws and leaped at the RiverClan warrior. She struck her front paw down on his head as hard as she could. A clump of reddish-brown fur was thrown into the river as Mistypaw pulled her paw back. She stood still as she watched blood come out of the cuts she had left on his head. She gasped as she realized what she had just done.

"I—I-I'm so sorry..." Mistypaw stammered.

"It's fine; don't worry about it," Oakheart replied. "I deserve this. I really do."

"Wh—what?" Mistypaw stammered.

"I shouldn't have left you. Or your brother and sister. Or your mother. I abandoned you. I tried to get Bluefur to bring you over, but she insisted that the frost would have killed you. After that I never spoke to her again. I've waited for gatherings to see you, but you haven't gone. You're still too young. I'm so sorry..."

"You're not making any sense," Mistypaw meowed.

"I'm so sorry, Mistypaw...I'm so sorry for abandoning you..."

"I don't know you," Mistypaw reminded the RiverClan warrior.

"But I know you," Oakheart replied. "I've known you for a long time, Mistypaw. I'm your father. Your birth father."

"No!" Mistypaw cried. "Thrushpelt is my father!"

"I know," Oakheart meowed. "He's been the one that's taken care of you alongside Bluefur. He is more of a father to you than I am, but I'm still the tom that fathered you."

"No..." Mistypaw whimpered softly. "He said it was just a game..."

"What?" Oakheart asked. "Who said what?"

"You aren't my father!" Mistypaw cried. _He said it was just a game...I have to believe that!_

"Don't worry about what you've done; it's nothing compared to what I've done," Oakheart reminded her of the injury she had caused. "I can cover it up. I'll just tell the Clan I fell in the ravine and hit my head on the rock..."

Mistypaw heard no more. She turned her head and saw that there was indeed a lot of blood on the rock in the ravine.

"No..." Mistypaw whimpered. "I didn't cause any of this...I couldn't have...No..."

"Mistypaw, it's okay..." Oakheart tried to soothe her.

"Leave me alone!" Mistypaw spat at the reddish-brown RiverClan warrior. "You aren't my father! You're just another enemy warrior!"

"But Mistypaw, I'm more than that!" Oakheart insisted.

"No! You aren't!" Mistypaw hissed. "I have to believe that..."

Not wanting to hear anymore of Oakheart's words, she turned tail and tried running back to her own territory. She leaped onto the stone and quickly leaped across the second and third stone. As she tried leaping onto the fourth one, however, the water in the river started to rise and she slipped. She fell off of the stone and into the water. She tried to get back onto the stone, but her fur was soaked and all she did was slide off. She flailed around as she tried to keep her head afloat and tried to stay near the stones, but the current grew stronger and carried her away from her one shot at returning to camp.

* * *

**Icy: And here we end the chapter.**

**Wingpaw: Icy! What's with all of these crazy cliffhangers?**

**Flarepaw: This is torture!**

**Mistypaw: Why? Icy, what did I ever do to you? What's going to happen to me?**

**Stonepaw: Is Mistypaw going to be okay?**

**Mosspaw: What's going to happen to my sister?**

**Icy: You'll just have to wait and find out!**

**Flarepaw: This is torture...**

**Icy: No, I'm about to experience torture. Once I get this uploaded I get to go march in a parade, and I hate parades... (trails off)**

**Wingpaw: Icy, you can do it! I believe in you!**

**Flarepaw: Icy, you're an amazing person! You can do it!**

**Icy: (wipes away tear) Aww...thanks, guys...**

**Mistypaw: I really want to know what happens to me...**

**Stonepaw: Mistypaw, don't be rude. Focus on the problem at hand. Good luck, Icy!**

**Mosspaw: Good luck, Icy!**

**Mistypaw: Good luck, Icy!**

**Icy: Thanks everybody. Well, I've got to go march in this parade now, but I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Look forward to the next one!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	18. Chapter 16: Caught in the Storm

******Icy: Quick note before I forget! Bluefur had her kits in the thick of leafbare. Six moons later, when they were apprenticed, it was the thick of greenleaf. The apprentices have been training for two moons, so now it's leaf-fall.**

******Wingpaw: The point of putting that there was...?**

******Flarepaw: Obvious. She didn't want to interrupt the flow of what's about to happen.**

******Wingpaw: What's about to happen...?**

**Icy: I'm so happy right now!**

**Wingpaw: Why...?**

**Icy: The parade yesterday was a success! I made it through all the way! I'm so proud of myself...**

**Flarepaw: Why wouldn't you have...? You know what, never mind...**

**Icy: Moving on because I'm sure the readers would like to read something in the AN about the actual story...**

**Mistypaw: Icy, what's going to happen to me?**

**Mosspaw: If you'd shut up you might find out!**

**Mistypaw: Aww... (sad face)**

**Stonepaw: This chapter's my POV, right?**

**Icy: Yeppers!**

**Wingpaw: (stares through narrowed eyes)**

**Flarepaw: What the...**

**Wingpaw: Flarepaw, no! Watch your language!**

**Flarepaw: But I don't wanna!**

**Mistypaw: I wanna find out what happens to me!**

**Mosspaw: This is getting very annoying...**

**Stonepaw: Just...Start...The...CHAPTER ALREADY!**

**Wingpaw: (stares)**

**Flarepaw: Jeez...**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Caught in the Storm**

* * *

"That was a great catch!" Stormtail exclaimed.

"Thanks, Stormtail!" Stonepaw replied. He started to dig a hole in the sand to bury the water vole into, but Stormtail stopped him.

"I think we've got enough for today. Let's go ahead and head back to camp," Stormtail meowed encouragingly.

"Really? But we haven't been hunting that long!" Stonepaw protested.

"You've already caught a couple of sparrows, a few mice, and a water vole! That's really good for leaf-fall!" Stormtail exclaimed.

"Oh. Cool!" Stonepaw agreed.

"You're a really quick learner, Stonepaw," Stormtail meowed. "I'm sorry I doubted you before. I guess you just needed someone else to help get you started. Now you're the best apprentice I could ask for."

"Really? You mean it?" Stonepaw asked.

"Of course I do!" Stonetail replied. "I wouldn't waste my breath on it if I didn't believe it to be true."

"Thanks, Stormtail!" Stonepaw meowed happily.

"Of course," Stormtail replied. "Now let's get back to camp—what?" Stormtail exclaimed. "Is that...who is that?"

Stonepaw turned around to see a blue-gray figure trying to swim against the current in the stream.

"Wait a minute—the river is flooding!" Stormtail exclaimed. "That cat needs help!"

Stonepaw widened his eyes.

"That's Mistypaw!" He realized aloud.

"What?" Stormtail exclaimed.

"All the more reason to hurry and help her!" Stonepaw exclaimed as he ran forward.

"Stonepaw, wait! Do you know how to swim?" Stormtail asked as he ran past him.

"No..." Stonepaw answered. "It almost seems like Mistypaw does, though...she looks like she knows what she's doing...almost as if she's been swimming her entire life...is she part RiverClan or something?"

Stonepaw pushed his thought aside as he watched Stormtail jump in to rescue Mistypaw. He grabbed the young blue-gray apprentice's scruff by his jaws and swam over to the edge as quickly as he could. Stonepaw was about to watch Stormtail pull Mistypaw onto dry land but he was distracted as the shadows of the trees were covered by the darkness which was the clouds covering the sun in the sky. He looked up to see that storm clouds were hunched around them in the sky.

"Stonepaw, you could help, you know," Stormtail growled.

"We need to hurry back to camp," Stonepaw meowed worriedly. He looked back down and ran over to help his sister. "There's a storm that could break out any minute."

"You're right," Stormtail meowed. "Mistypaw, are you o—" He was interrupted by a harsh gust of wind that hit him in the face. He took an involuntary step backwards. Stonepaw dug his claws into the ground to keep from doing the same. Mistypaw fell over.

"Mistypaw!" Stonepaw exclaimed. He ran over to help her. "Are you okay?"

"I just—that wind took me by surprise—that's all..." Mistypaw stammered. Her breath came in quick rasps. She tried talking quickly to cover it up, but Stonepaw caught it.

"Come on; we've got to hurry!" Stonepaw meowed to his mentor. "Mistypaw's not okay!"

"What's wrong?" Stormtail asked.

"First of all, she's soaking wet and this wind is really harsh!" Stonepaw yowled. Once the gust of wind was gone, he meowed a bit softer, "Her breathing is shallow."

"Then let's go," Stormtail meowed.

* * *

"Is Mistypaw going to be okay?" Stonepaw asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Spottedkit confessed.

_Why would you?_ Stonepaw wondered. However, he kept quiet to keep from upsetting the kit.

"Spottedkit, don't interfere. I need to treat my patient. You can help me sort herbs, but please don't interfere when I'm trying to treat my patients or consult the families of my patients," Featherwhisker meowed to the kit sternly.

"Yes, Featherwhisker," Spottedkit meowed, dipping her head. "I'm sorry. I'll head back to the nursery now." The tortoiseshell kit quickly ran out of the medicine cat den.

"I'll bet she's a pawful," Stonepaw meowed.

"She wants to be a medicine cat so badly," Featherwhisker meowed sympathetically. "I've tried breaking the news to her that we already have two and can't have anymore, but she won't accept it. She refuses to do anything else. I honestly don't know what to do with her. She's really useful around here, actually. But I don't think you came here to discuss Spottedkit."

"No," Stonepaw agreed. "It's not."

"I'm afraid Mistypaw had greencough," Featherwhisker meowed.

"How?" Stonepaw exclaimed. "It's only leaf-fall!"

"Yes, but Mistypaw was soaking wet when you brought her here. She fell in the river?"

"From what we could tell," Stonepaw replied. "Neither Stormtail nor I actually know what happened. We just found her struggling against the current."

"Well, these harsh, cold, leaf-bare-like winds alone are enough to give a cat whitecough. It's not surprise that, put with being soaking wet, Mistypaw has greencough," Featherwhisker meowed.

"Do you have the right herbs to cure greencough? Catmint?" Stonepaw asked.

"That's the problem," Featherwhisker replied. "I just tried to restock in catmint yesterday, but some other animal had dug up all of the plants that I had been saving to collect later. I don't have any."

"Oh." Stonepaw could only mutter.

"I'm sorry," Featherwhisker meowed. "I'm going to try as much as I can, but I can't make any promises."

"Mistypaw..." Stonepaw whimpered.

"There's one other thing that concerns me," Featherwhisker meowed.

"What is it?" Stonepaw asked, lifting his head.

"There's a small bite mark on Mistypaw's front paw. I think she was bitten by something while she was in the river. Possibly a small fish. Or maybe she just scraped it against something. Either way, I think the wound is already infected. Given her disease, the slightest other injury could drive her mad," Featherwhisker concluded.

"Mad?" Stonepaw asked. "I don't understand..."

"You're still a young apprentice. Of course you don't. Oh, dear Stonepaw, Mistypaw might not be the same again. She might lose her mind. She might start forgetting everyone she loves," Featherwhisker meowed.

"No..." Stonepaw whimpered. His whimpers were cut off by the loud sound of thunder. He heard rain pour outside of the den but he ignored it.

"Mistypaw got caught in the storm," Featherwhisker meowed. "It happens sometimes. I'm sorry, Stonepaw," he repeated.

Stonepaw ignored him. He lay down next to his sister and buried his nose into his sister's fur.

_Mistypaw, please don't leave me!_

* * *

**Icy: Aww...Poor Stonepaw. It's so touching...**

**Wingpaw: (sniffle)**

**Flarepaw: (wipes away tears)**

**Stonepaw: Mistypaw...**

**Mistypaw: I'm not dead yet! I wanna go for a walk!**

**Wingpaw: Monty Python?**

**Flarepaw: Really?**

**Mosspaw: (ignoring Wingpaw and Flarepaw) Why wasn't I in this chapter at all? I'm missing in all of this action!**

**Icy: Don't worry, Mosspaw. The next chapter is yours. Next chapter is special. We get a slight distraction from Mistypaw's slow death as we receive a cameo from a certain flame-colored tom...**

**Wingpaw: _What?_**

**Flarepaw: Seriously?**

**Icy: It's not what you think it's going to be, though. I can promise you that much. You should look forward to it!**

**Stonepaw: Mistypaw, don't die!**

**Mistypaw: Don't worry, Stonepaw. Even if I die in the story, I'll always be here in the AN's. Hell, I might even be able to catch up with the modern world and live with Wingpaw and Flarepaw until this story is over so I can leave you and Mosspaw in peace.**

**Mosspaw: Please do.**

**Mistypaw: _What?_**

**Mosspaw: Relax, Mistypaw, I was kidding. I don't want you to die, either!**

**Icy: (sigh) This could go on forever... So let's end the chapter here! Look forward to next chapter!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	19. Chapter 17: A Quenched Flame

**Wingpaw: Does this chapter actually fit in with the rest of the story...?**

**Icy: Sure it does!**

**Wingpaw: I have a hard time believing so...**

**Flarepaw: It's almost as if you just threw a few sentences together to make this fit in with the rest of the story.**

**Icy: That's so not true! This isn't the first time we see Thistleclaw get a little blood-happy, but it _is_ the first time we see his killing in action. The first of many.**

**Stonepaw: Icy! Spoilers!**

**Mistypaw: Hey, what about me? When do we get to find out what happens to me?**

**Icy: Soon, but not today.**

**Mistypaw: _What?_ Why not? I wanna find out what happens!**

**Stonepaw: Yeah! Please let Mistypaw live!**

**Icy: Hmm... I can't make any promises.**

**Mistypaw: Why not?**

**Icy: I already decided what happens a long time ago. Remember? I wrote an outline. No one can persuade me to change it...**

**Mistypaw: Aww...**

**Icy: So, if anybody might notice, I finally made a cover for this story! Well, I added some text to a picture, but hey, it's there. It's more appropriate for the story than my profile picture, which has a Pikachu sitting under a cherry blossom tree...**

**Mosspaw: Hey! Enough talking! Let's get to the story already!**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

**A Quenched Flame**

* * *

"Someone has taken our rightful possessions from us!" Thistleclaw yowled. "And for that they will be punished." Mosspaw sat outside of the medicine cat den. She took a couple of tiny bites out of her water vole.

"Do we know who it was?" Dappletail asked.

"I'll bet it was ShadowClan!" Speckletail called out. "Always looking to ruin someone's life!"

_Really? _Mosspaw couldn't help but wonder. She took another bite of her vole. _These cats are so quick to jump to excuses to harm another Clan!_

"Although you have good cause, you are incorrect, Speckletail," Thistleclaw meowed. "It was not a clan cat. It was not a cat at all."

_Thistleclaw, of all cats, makes the most sense of an argument? I never thought I'd live to see the day,_ Mosspaw thought to herself. She then reminded herself that, although Thistleclaw was bloodthirsty, he was still a clever cat. _In some ways he's a good mentor. He did give me today and the next few days off to help take care of Mistypaw..._

"Then what was it?" Speckletail asked.

"It was a fox. A fox that rummaged through our catmint, killing our entire stock," Thistleclaw replied.

_The catmint...so this is about Mistypaw..._ Mosspaw realized.

"What?" Rosetail exclaimed.

"No!" Patchpelt cried out. "We have to do something about this!"

_Revenge won't get the catmint back..._ Mosspaw wanted to say. She forced herself to keep quiet. She took a larger bite of water vole to help her keep her mouth shut.

"We will, Patchpelt," Thistleclaw replied. "Don't worry. We're doing something about this now. I'm putting a patrol together to search for the fox, find the fox, and kill the fox. We'll make sure it never hurts us again."

"I want to go on the patrol!" Patchpelt immediately meowed.

"Me too!" Smallear meowed.

"Me too!" Dappletail meowed.

"Me too!" Speckletail meowed.

"I want to go, too!" Rosetail tried to cut in.

_Great StarClan! It's still dawn! I hope no one was trying to sleep because they're definitely not sleeping anymore..._ Mosspaw twitched her ears. The cats in the clearing were so noisy! The only reason Mosspaw had already been awake was because Mistypaw had had a coughing fit. Stonepaw was out helping Featherwhisker search for anything that could calm her coughing while Goosefeather and Spottedkit looked after her. _That kit sure would make a good medicine cat...if only the Clan would let her..._

"Quiet down! All of you!" Thistleclaw exclaimed. "I've already chosen who I'm bringing on the patrol."

"Then who are you taking?" Smallear asked.

"Sparrowpelt, Adderfang, Stormtail, Fuzzypelt, and Tigerclaw are coming with me. The backup patrol, led by Lionheart, will also consist of Whitestorm, Dappletail, Speckletail, White-Eye, and Leopardfoot," Thistleclaw replied.

"Yes! I'm in a patrol!" Patchpelt exclaimed.

"Me too!" Dappletail meowed excitedly.

"I get to go on the backup patrol? Wow! I'm so surprised! I'm so happy right now," White-Eye meowed to Dappletail.

"See? I told you that it would happen some day," Dappletail replied encouragingly to her sister.

_These cats have no sense of sound...I swear to StarClan...They're going to regret it if they wake Mistypaw up...especially since she just fell asleep a little bit ago..._

"I'm taking my patrol to search around Tallpines and around the Twolegplace. I want the backup patrol to stick around between the Great Sycamore and Snakerocks," Thistleclaw meowed. "If we need help then I will send someone from my patrol to you, Lionheart, and you'll know when I give the signal to move."

"Alright," Lionheart meowed.

"Okay," Thistleclaw meowed. "Enough of waiting around and receiving instructions. Let's do this!"

"Yeah!"

Mosspaw patiently finished her water vole as the two patrols ran out of the camp.

_So much for the other patrols..._ she retorted to herself. _Okay, well... Thistleclaw doesn't seem like the cat to appease his thirst for blood with a fox...surely he has some other goal in mind? But what could it be?_

Mosspaw made up her mind.

_I'm following this patrol..._

* * *

Mosspaw sat and watched Thistleclaw from behind the ferns. He had sent Sparrowpelt, Fuzzypelt, Adderfang, and Stormtail to Tallpines while he took Tigerclaw to the Twolegplace. Now, after a few quick words that Mosspaw couldn't hear, he was sending Tigerclaw to check around one side of the Twolegplace while he checked the other. Thistleclaw padded through a couple of bushes. Mosspaw crept through her fronds to make sure she didn't lose him. The scents of some of the flowers in the Twolegplace were throwing her off, so she wanted to make sure she kept her mentor in sight.

She gasped as she looked through the bushes. Thistleclaw had a dark ginger kittypet pinned down.

"I'm sorry!" The kittypet cried out. "What did I ever do to you?"

"You talked to me!" Thistleclaw spat in reply.

Mosspaw tipped her head to the side. _Kittypets really are fat..._ she realized. This was her first time seeing a kittypet. She shook her head. _Focus, Mosspaw._ She turned around and took a quick glance behind her. _I have to be careful and make sure Tigerclaw doesn't find me..._

"You were in my yard!" the ginger kittypet cried out. "I just wanted to say hello!"

"You don't say hello to a ThunderClan warrior!" Thistleclaw snapped.

"Warrior? ThunderClan? What is that?" the kittypet asked.

Thistleclaw didn't reply. His only response was to slice his claws down the kittypet's belly. He then tore at the kittypet's neck with his jaws, leaving the kittypet with two gaping wounds in addition to the small cuts that were already there.

"You're not worth my time," Thistleclaw spat. He started padding away from the kittypet.

_Fox-dung!_ Mosspaw thought. She turned around scurried away back to her fronds just in time to dodge Thistleclaw's sight. _Thank StarClan..._

"Where's Tigerclaw go?" Thistleclaw asked himself aloud. Just in time, Tigerclaw returned to Thistleclaw. He had the rest of the patrol with him.

"Thistleclaw, Tigerclaw said you found the fox trail. He came to get us," Sparrowpelt meowed.

"Lead us through it," Stormtail meowed.

"Of course," Thistleclaw replied. The patrol padded through the bushes where Thistleclaw had been minutes ago. Mosspaw crept through the ferns just in time to hear several gasps from the patrol.

"This fox is ruthless!" Fuzzypelt exclaimed.

"Why would it murder a kittypet, though?" Adderfang asked.

"I don't know; it just did," Thistleclaw replied. "Come on; the fox went through the Twolegplace."

"We have to go through the Twolegplace, too?" Fuzzypelt complained.

"_You_ don't have to. If it bothers you that much then you can go back and get the backup patrol," Thistleclaw meowed. "Does that sound better for you? Is that good enough for you?"

"O-of course, Thistleclaw," Fuzzypelt stammered in reply. He bolted off before Thistleclaw could say anything else.

"Alright, let's go," Thistleclaw meowed.

Mosspaw crept through the bushes as the patrol padded into the thick of the Twolegplace. She ran over to the dark ginger kittypet.

"Hey, kittypet," Mosspaw whispered to him.

"Me?" the kittypet rasped.

"Yeah. What's your name?" Mosspaw asked.

"What does it matter to you?" he rasped. Blood gurgled from his throat as he spoke.

"I want something to remember you by," Mosspaw replied. "You're not the first Thistleclaw's killed and I'm sure you won't be the last. You see, I'm going to stop him. All of those he's killed...they're my motivation to keep moving on; to remind me why I'm doing what I'm doing. So will you help me? Will you give me your name?"

"It's...Rusty..." the dark ginger kittypet rasped. He opened his jaws to say more. Whatever it was, he never got to say it. He breathed his last breath.

"Rusty..." Mosspaw whispered. "I'm so sorry...You're in StarClan's paws now...may they treat you well..."

Mosspaw turned around and slowly padded through the bushes.

_StarClan, I'm going to put a stop to this. I'm going to make sure this doesn't happen again. Even if it's the last thing I do._

* * *

**Wingpaw: What? Firestar! No!**

**Flarepaw: What in the name of StarClan, Icy?**

**Icy: I said he had a cameo. I also said it wasn't what you would think it would be.**

**Flarepaw: But killing him off?**

**Wingpaw: As a kittypet?**

**Icy: Well...he _is_ a kittypet...**

**Mistypaw: So...about me...**

**Icy: Nope.**

**Mistypaw: Nope? Why?**

**Icy: We talk too much.**

**Stonepaw: Seriously?**

**Icy: Yeah seriously. You're lucky I haven't just stopped including you altogether. I was going to just have me talking, but I was nice and let you guys join me in the AN. Wingpaw, Flarepaw, you two should be especially thankful. You wouldn't exist in the world if I hadn't revived you here in these AN's.**

**Wingpaw: Thanks, Icy!**

**Flarepaw: Thank you, Icy!**

**Icy: Okay, well, I'm not gonna say much about the chapter. I'm just going to let everyone tell me what they thought about it. And how outraged they probably are. Okay, I'm going to cut this AN off now before it gets too long. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	20. Chapter 18: Harsh Repercussions

**Icy: Happy Black Friday everybody!**

**Wingpaw: Really...?**

**Icy: Well, it is Black Friday and all...**

**Flarepaw: I'm surprised you haven't put up your Christmas tree yet.**

**Icy: Me too.**

**Mistypaw: So, what's taken you so long to update?**

**Icy: I got a Wii U on Sunday! It's taken up pretty much all of my free time. It's so fun!**

**Stonepaw: That's nice...**

**Icy: Hey, don't complain. I'm updating now.**

**Mosspaw: You haven't updated in a week...**

**Icy: Don't worry, I'm not waiting 2 years to update. I'm sorry, okay? But the Wii U is so much fun!**

**Wingpaw: Stop apologizing to us!**

**Flarepaw: Start the chapter already!**

**Mistypaw: Yeah! It's my POV! I'm looking forward to it!**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Harsh Repercussions**

* * *

Mistypaw jerked up from her nest as an ice-cold wind ruffled her fur. She immediately fell back down. She closed her eyes to force the dizziness away. Once it was gone she opened her eyes much more slowly and quickly recognized the gray pelt of her brother, who lay sleeping next to her. She blinked her eyes a few more times as they adjusted to the darkness. Then she recognized the sandy-gray pelt of her mentor a few footsteps away. Her mentor was wide awake. He was watching her through his pale green sorrowful gaze.

"Thrush..." Mistypaw started to meow his name but she burst into a coughing fit in the middle of it. Stonepaw jumped up from his nest.

"Mistypaw!" he exclaimed.

"S—s—sorry," Mistypaw stammered when her coughing fit was finally over. "I didn't mean to wake you up," she rasped.

"It's fine," Stonepaw replied. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Mistypaw replied. She tried to sit up but everything got dizzy again. She fell back over into her nest and lay there.

"I'll go get Featherwhisker!" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it," Mistypaw meowed. "I'm fine. Really. You don't need to go get Featherwhisker..."

"Yes I do," Stonepaw meowed. "He wanted me to go get him when you woke up."

"Oh," Mistypaw meowed. "Well then. I guess you're going to go get him, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Stonepaw replied. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Mistypaw replied. "Don't worry about it. Go ahead. Just make sure you come back," she meowed.

"Don't worry," Stonepaw meowed. "I will," he promised. He gave Thrushpelt a quick nod before running out of the medicine at den.

Mistypaw tried to sit up again. This time she successfully sat upright. She closed her eyes for a couple of moments to let the dizziness settle away before opening them. _Yes! It worked!_

"How are you feeling?" Thrushpelt asked.

"What are you doing in here?" Mistypaw asked coldly, completely ignoring his question.

"What do you mean?" Thrushpelt asked. "I was just watching over you and Stonepaw while you both slept..."

Mistypaw stayed quiet. She wanted desperately to attack her so-called _father_, but she forced herself to stay still. Considering her weak condition, she thought it best to sit still right now.

"Mistypaw, listen to me carefully. You have greencough," Thrushpelt meowed.

"Well isn't that just great..." Mistypaw muttered.

"Mistypaw, I was really worried," Thrushpelt meowed. "I waited for you and you didn't show up, so I assumed you'd already gone back to camp. I got back and you weren't there. Mistypaw, how did you fall into the river? What were you doing at the river, anyway?"

"You lied to me!" Mistypaw spat. "It wasn't a game!"

"What are you talking about?" Thrushpelt asked. "Are you going mad?"

"Am _I_ going mad?" Mistypaw exclaimed. "What do you think?"

"Well, Featherwhisker said that you might go mad..." Thrushpelt muttered. "The small injury on your paw...what happened?"

Mistypaw looked at her paw. She realized there was a small scrape on it.

"Featherwhisker said you might have gotten bit by a small fish..." Thrushpelt meowed.

"No. It got scratched when I fell off the rock," Mistypaw meowed.

"You fell off a rock?" Thrushpelt asked disbelievingly. "When?"

"On my way back from RiverClan," Mistypaw replied.

"What?" Thrushpelt exclaimed. "You went to RiverClan?"

"You think _I'm_ going mad? I think _you're_ going mad! You lied to me!" Mistypaw spat.

"About what?" Thrushpelt exclaimed.

"It wasn't a game!" Mistypaw hissed.

"What wasn't a game?" Thrushpelt asked.

"You're not my father!" Mistypaw growled.

Thrushpelt lowered his head. The shock and worry in his eyes were replaced by mere sadness.

"You're right," Thrushpelt meowed. "I'm not your father."

"You told me that before. You then told me it was just a game. Why? You slipped, didn't you? You didn't mean to tell me, did you?" Mistypaw sneered.

"Of course not," Thrushpelt replied. "I meant for you to know, but then Bluefur appeared and made sure you didn't know...I'm so sorry, Mistypaw..."

"Don't apologize to me," Mistypaw spat. "I don't want to hear any apologies from you."

"But..."

"You want to know what happened when I went to RiverClan?" Mistypaw asked.

"I'd rather know why..." Thrushpelt muttered.

"One of their warriors found me at the border. He called himself Oakheart," Mistypaw replied, ignoring her mentor's comment. "He told me that he was my father."

"Really?" Thrushpelt asked.

"Well? Was he right? Is it true?" Mistypaw asked. "Am I Half-Clan?"

"I wish I knew," Thrushpelt replied. "It's just possible, but I honestly have no idea. I knew that Bluefur and Oakheart were friends at Gatherings, but...I don't know. I really don't know."

"Then I'll ask her," Mistypaw replied. She started to get up out of her nest but she was given a quick reminder of how sick she was by the dizziness that hit her. She fell back into her nest and lay on her side.

"Mistypaw, are you okay?" Thrushpelt asked.

"Just dizzy..." Mistypaw muttered in reply.

"Then rest," Thrushpelt ordered her. "Whether I'm your father or not, I'm still your mentor, so you still have to listen to me. You need to rest right now. Whether Oakheart is your father or not doesn't matter. Getting well is what matters, so rest and get better."

"Am I going to get better?" Mistypaw asked. She slowly opened her eyes. "Be honest, Thrushpelt. Am I going to get better?"

"I don't know," Thrushpelt confessed. "I hope so. But you've got greencough, and you're still so young...Plus you've got that injury on your paw...Featherwhisker said the slightest injury would make it harder for your body to fight against greencough because it's trying to fight against the infection in your paw. He said that it might cause you to go mad..."

"Don't worry, Thrushpelt," Mistypaw meowed. "I'm not going mad. I'm going to get better."

Thrushpelt didn't say anything. His head remained lowered. Mistypaw felt a flicker of worry.

"I'm going to get better," she repeated. "Aren't I?"

"Are you hungry? I'm going to get a shrew you want anything?" Thrushpelt asked.

"No thanks," Mistypaw replied. "I'm not hungry."

"Alright then," Thrushpelt meowed. He turned and padded out of the medicine cat den without another word.

Mistypaw lay in her nest looking out of the den. She couldn't see anything past the den entrance. She was beginning to worry. Thrushpelt hadn't directly told her that she would get better. He had changed the subject and left the den as quickly as he could.

_He doesn't think I'll get better,_ she realized. She then remembered how quickly Stonepaw had left the den. He had paused to make sure she was okay and then left. _He doesn't think I'll get better, either._ Mistypaw wondered how many cats had been in to see her. Probably not many, if any at all.

Mistypaw couldn't help but notice that neither Goosefeather nor Featherwhisker were in the medicine cat den.

_If I'm so sick, then why are neither of the medicine cats in here?_ Mistypaw wondered. Then it hit her.

_No one thinks I'll get better._

Mistypaw wanted desperately to prove them wrong. _I want to get better! But how do I...?_

Mistypaw closed her eyes.

_For now I'll do what I can, which is rest. StarClan, please let them be wrong! Please save me! Please let me live!_

* * *

**Icy: Well, here's the end of the chapter...**

**Wingpaw: Icy! That was hard for me to read...**

**Flarepaw: Icy, why are all of your stories so depressing?**

**Icy: I've always wanted to know the answer to that, Flarepaw. I think it's because writing happy stories bores me. I mean, really, it's quite boring. I've tried writing funny stories, but I ended up not even posting them. I knew I wouldn't keep up with them. Writing a funny one-shot or something is a good idea for when you're up in the middle of the night and everything is funny. It's not a good idea for the middle of the day. At least, not for me...**

**Mistypaw: Icy, please don't kill me! I don't want to die yet!**

**Stonepaw: Icy, please save Mistypaw!**

**Mosspaw: Icy, please!**

**Icy: I'm sorry, guys, but I'm not changing what happens in the story. It's going to be just as hard for me to write the next few chapters as it will be for you to read the next few chapters. I'm so sorry, Mistypaw...**

**Mistypaw: I want to live!**

**Icy: Honestly, I want you to live. I've started to like writing in your POV. But it's not up to me anymore...**

**Mistypaw: It's your story! Of course it's up to you!**

**Icy: But if you live...this entire story will be changed...your death is so important that I can't change it...**

**Mistypaw: Icy, please!**

**Icy: Okay, this is going on for way too long. Anyways, hopefully nobody got injured this Black Friday. Hopefully the online thing is kind of saving lives these days. Well, I'm going to end this chapter here because this AN is getting really long, plus I don't have much time left because I've got stuff to do... I'll try to update again over this long weekend but I make no promises! See you next time! Look forward to the next chapter!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	21. Chapter 19: Problems and Solutions

**Icy: Well, this chapter should be fun to write.**

**Wingpaw: Why is that?**

**Icy: Apprentice ceremonies... I hate writing ceremonies...**

**Flarepaw: Then why should this be fun...?**

**Stonepaw: Cause it's in my POV!**

**Mistypaw: No, it's probably because I'm not in it...**

**Mosspaw: Aww, don't be sad, Mistypaw... You play an important role in this story!**

**Mistypaw: Yeah! Death! Just another death...**

**Mosspaw: Now that's not true...**

**Icy: Not even a slight bit. (cough cough)**

**Mistypaw: It is true, isn't it?**

**Icy: Only partially... We get your POV even after you die!**

**Mistypaw: (gasp) Really? Awesome!**

**Flarepaw: Hey! Enough of this! Looking back, chapters 12, 13, 15, and 16 had insanely long AN's!**

**Wingpaw: Let's never get there again.**

**Icy: This AN is already getting really long, though...**

**Flarepaw: I think we're already there again...**

**Stonepaw: Then start my chapter already!**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Problems and Solutions**

* * *

"Hey, Stonepaw! Did you hear about what happened?" the small brown she-cat asked.

"Hear about what, Mousepaw?" Stonepaw replied.

"Brindleface!" Runningpaw replied, butting in their conversation.

"After the patrols last quarter-moon failed to find the fox, another patrol was sent yesterday. They got back, but not without injury. Brindleface almost lost her front paw!" Mousepaw exclaimed.

"Really?" Stonepaw gasped.

"It's only hanging on by a few hairs," Runningpaw added.

"That's just a rumor!" Mousepaw snapped. "I just heard that she almost lost it. She still has it, though, doesn't she?"

"Not from what I've heard," Runningpaw replied. "I think she's going to have to lose it from being infected, or that's at least what I heard."

"Before you bother me with gossip would you mind at least figuring out which story to tell me?" Stonepaw snapped.

"Um, what?" Runningpaw asked.

"Hello? Stonepaw? You in there? Where's our friendly Stonepaw? What happened to our happy-go-lucky friend? Who is this cold and foul creature?" Mousepaw asked, waving her tail in front of Stonepaw's face.

"Leave me alone!" Stonepaw hissed.

"Aww...what's wrong, Stonepaw?" Mousepaw asked.

"Can we help you?" Runningpaw joined in.

"Not unless you can save my sister's life," Stonepaw growled.

"Oh," Mousepaw meowed. Without another word she ran away.

"Mousepaw, wait for me!" Runningpaw cried. He ran after his sister. Neither one of them bothered saying goodbye to Stonepaw.

_That's right,_ Stonepaw thought angrily. _Nobody talk to me right now._

"Stonepaw, don't be mean," Mosspaw meowed, padding up to him. "They just wanted to gossip."

"I don't want to gossip. I want to grieve for my sister. In peace," he added, glaring at Mosspaw.

"Okay, first of all, I'm not leaving you alone because she's _my_ sister, too. Secondly, what happened to you, Stonepaw? Your personality is becoming hard as a rock! Or, dare I say, a stone..." Mosspaw trailed off with a playful gleam in her eyes.

"Oh no you didn't..." Stonepaw meowed. "That was such a terrible pun..."

"What are you gonna do about it?" Mosspaw asked cheekily.

"This!" Stonepaw exclaimed before leaping at his sister. Keeping his paws sheathed, he swiped his paw across his sister's ear and then moved to hold her tail down.

"Aww...is that the best you can do?" Mosspaw asked.

"Of course not!" Stonepaw replied. "That's just all I'm going to do. All is forgiven."

"Yeah, yeah...Right. Sure. Of course," Mosspaw replied. "Geez, you're no fun..."

"I can be plenty of fun!" Stonepaw argued. "Watch this!"

"Whatever you're going to do, don't do it," Mosspaw interrupted as Stonepaw was about to ball up a wad of moss.

"Aww..." Stonepaw whined. "You're no fun."

"I'm plenty of fun. See? You're smiling now. You're not moping around and making everyone mad anymore," Mosspaw meowed. "From what I can see, my job here is done."

"Oh, is that what this is? I see how it is. Yeah, I see how it is," Stonepaw meowed sarcastically. "Just you wait. I'll get you back for this."

"Yeah right," Mosspaw meowed. "You always need someone to argue with."

Stonepaw's brief happiness shattered immediately. _So that's what this is..._

"Alright, well, I'm going to go sit with Thrushpelt. The ceremony's about to start," Mosspaw meowed.

"Ceremony? What ceremony?" Stonepaw was immediately distracted.

"Willowkit, Redkit, and Spottedkit are becoming apprentices today!" Mosspaw meowed excitedly.

"Really?" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"Yeah! Do you want to come sit with Thrushpelt and me?" Mosspaw asked.

"Nah," Stonepaw replied. "I want to sit with Thistleclaw," he added.

"Oh. Okay," Mosspaw meowed. Her happiness immediately disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Stonepaw asked.

"What? Oh, nothing, it's just...I'm thinking about Spottedkit. She wants to become a medicine cat so badly, but we already have two medicine cats..." Mosspaw trailed off.

"It _is_ sad..." Stonepaw agreed.

"Stonepaw!" Thistleclaw called for him.

"Coming!" Stonepaw yelled over his shoulder. "Sorry, Mosspaw, I've gotta go. See you later!"

"Later," Mosspaw meowed, turning around to go find Thrushpelt.

Stonepaw turned around to see where Thistleclaw was.

_Mosspaw doesn't like Thistleclaw,_ Stonepaw realized. _She has a problem with him. What could it possibly be?_

Stonepaw ran over to Thistleclaw once he found him.

"Hey, Stonepaw," Thistleclaw greeted him.

"Good morning, Thistleclaw," Stonepaw replied, dipping his head to the deputy.

"Would all cats gather around for a Clan meeting!" Sunstar suddenly meowed from the highrock.

"Hey Stonepaw, do you know what happened to Brindleface?" Thistleclaw whispered to him as cats began gathering around.

"Mousepaw and Runningpaw tried to tell me, but they couldn't decide what their story was," Stonepaw replied. "They tried telling me _gossip_," Stonepaw spat the word, "but they failed miserably."

"Brindleface was injured by the fox yesterday," Thistleclaw explained. "Her paw is barely hanging on to her leg. She's probably going to lose it," he added.

"Well that's unfortunate," Stonepaw meowed matter-of-fact-ly. He wasn't phased by it at all.

_The only cat whose pain I care about right now is Mistypaw,_ he told himself. _Mosspaw thinks she can distract me by arguing with me like Mistypaw always does, but she's wrong...and she's wrong about her misgivings with Thistleclaw, too..._

"Personally, I think she should join the nursery," Thistleclaw meowed. "I mean, it's not like she can run around as a warrior anymore. She's still young, so she shouldn't be an elder. She can at least provide kits for the Clan..."

"That's a good idea," Stonepaw meowed. "This is why you're Clan deputy."

Thistleclaw purred in amusement. He opened his jaws to say more, but he had to close them as the ceremony began.

"Today is a good day for ThunderClan," Sunstar began. "By naming apprentices we show ThunderClan will survive and remain strong. Willowkit," he meowed.

The pale gray she-cat stepped forward.

"From now until you receive your warrior name you shall be known as Willowpaw. Goldenflower, you are ready for your first apprentice. You will be Willowpaw's mentor," Sunstar continued.

Stonepaw had to keep himself from purring in amusement at Willowpaw's excitement, which she was doing a terrible job of hiding.

"Redkit, from now until you become a warrior you shall be known as Redpaw. Lionheart, you are also ready for your first apprentice. You will mentor Redpaw," Sunstar continued.

As Redpaw and Lionheart joined Willowpaw and Goldenflower, Stonepaw twitched his ear as he remembered his own apprentice ceremony. He had been playing a game with Runningpaw and hadn't noticed the ceremony had started. He tried to exchange a quick glance with Mosspaw to see if she was remembering it, too, but she wasn't looking in his direction.

_Mistypaw would have..._ Stonepaw couldn't help but think. He cast a quick glance at the medicine cat den. Mistypaw was in there. She was laying in her nest, probably resting. _She wants to get better as much as we want her to get better..._ Stonepaw thought to himself. She had been in there for a quarter moon. She was starting to tire out, and Featherwhisker feared she would soon turn mad. There were no signs of improvement.

_StarClan, why? Why do you have to do this to my sister? What did Mistypaw ever do to you? She doesn't deserve this!_

"Spottedkit, from now until you become a warrior you shall be known as..."

"Stop!" Spottedkit exclaimed.

Sunstar jumped, nearly falling off the highrock. Many cats in the Clan gasped, including Stonepaw.

_Spottedkit just interrupted her own ceremony! Is she a mousebrain?_

"I don't want to be a warrior!" she cried. "If I cannot be a medicine cat apprentice then I will not be an apprentice!"

This comment was, of course, followed by a lot more gasps.

_I knew she wanted to be a medicine cat very badly, but I didn't know it was this badly!_

"Spottedkit, please," Sunstar begged. "We already have two medicine cats. We simply do not need a third."

"We don't have two medicine cats!" Spottedkit argued back. "We only have one! The other is a crazed fox!"

_Yeah, Spottedkit, way to go. Insult Goosefeather, the oldest medicine cat, in order to become the medicine cat apprentice. Yeah, I can see the logic in that..._ A quick glance with Thistleclaw told Stonepaw that his deputy was thinking the same thing.

"Come on, Sunstar," Goosefeather meowed. "What harm can having another medicine cat do? I say the more the merrier."

"But..." Sunstar began. Goosefeather did not let him continue.

"She knows most of the herbs already. Let her be, Sunstar. One day, when you can't find me or Featherwhisker, don't blame me if we can't get to someone in time because I can promise you that Spottedkit could have saved them," Goosefeather meowed.

"Please, Sunstar! Please!" Spottedkit begged her leader.

Sunstar sighed. "Fine. Spottedkit, do you accept the post of apprentice to Goosefeather and Featherwhisker?"

"I do," Spottedkit replied.

"Then from now until you become a medicine cat you shall be known as Spottedpaw. You must travel to Mothermouth at half-moon to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats," Sunstar meowed.

"Of course," Spottedpaw meowed, nodding. Her eyes were shining with happiness.

_Good for you, Spottedpaw,_ Stonepaw couldn't help but think. _I'm proud of you for standing your ground._

"This ceremony is over," Sunstar meowed.

"Willowpaw! Redpaw! Spottedpaw! Willowpaw! Redpaw! Spottedpaw!"

"May I say something?" Frostfur asked once everyone had quieted down.

"Of course," Sunstar replied.

"I would like to announce that I'm moving to nursery," Frostfur meowed. "I'm expecting Whitestorm's kits."

"Frostfur! Whitestorm! Frostfur! Whitestorm!"

"That's all very nice, but we still need to address the issue of Brindleface..." Stonepaw muttered softly. Only Thistleclaw heard him.

"I can't help but agree," Thistleclaw meowed. "I really do with someone would say something about it."

Stonepaw jumped as a loud yowl of pain suddenly came from the medicine cat den. Everyone in the Clan turned to see Featherwhisker run out of the den.

"Featherwhisker, what's happening?" Sunstar asked.

"Brindleface's paw fell off," Featherwhisker reported in reply. "I had no choice but to bite it off. Her wound was getting infected and having her paw still on there was only making it worse for her. I'm afraid she can no longer be a warrior."

"Then she should be a queen," Thistleclaw meowed, standing up. Every cat in the Clan turned to stare at him in shock. Stonepaw stood up as tall as he could to follow in suit.

"I agree," he meowed.

* * *

**Icy: Cliffie! I bet you guys all hate me so much right now...**

**Wingpaw: We really do...**

**Flarepaw: So, Icy, are you ever going to write Wingpaw and I another story?**

**Icy: Some day, I promise...**

**Flarepaw: What? But you're almost done with RUTH!**

**Icy: I know, but today I found one fanfic idea that I really want to write in my notebook, I remembered another really good idea I had, and I suddenly had a really good idea for a sequel to this story while I was walking in the grocery store waiting on my mom earlier. I think my idea for the sequel to this story should please everybody. I found a way to combine my old idea for a sequel and my new idea for a sequel. It's gonna be pretty cool. It's a long ways away, of course, because we still have thirty some chapters to get through, but I'm really excited for this sequel now!**

**Wingpaw: So what about our story?**

**Icy: It's coming. I'd already started writing it before I decided to put RUTH online, but it got put aside when other stories came first. Some day, I promise, but not today.**

**Mistypaw: Hey, are we gonna get to comment today?**

**Mosspaw: That big of a cliffhanger and we don't even get to comment?**

**Stonepaw: What kind of cruelty is this?**

**Icy: Hey! Hey! This AN is getting really long really fast! I'm ending this before it gets worse!**

**Flarepaw: Yeah.**

**Wingpaw: You better.**

**Icy: (sigh) I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	22. Chapter 20: Removing the Useless

**Icy: Alright, here we go! We've reached chapter 20!**

**Wingpaw: Wow!**

**Flarepaw: I'm impressed.**

**Icy: Only 30 to go now.**

**Mistypaw: And now that RUTH is finished...we get more attention?**

**Icy: Nope.**

**Mistypaw: (gasp)**

**Stonepaw: What?**

**Mosspaw: Why not?**

**Icy: I'm starting a new story called Zero Two. I'm sorry, but I really want to write that story.**

**Mistypaw: Aww...**

**Icy: Hey, stop complaining. I've been updating this story decently-frequently, haven't I? Alright, before this AN gets too long, let's get to the chapter already.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

**Removing the Useless**

* * *

"I agree."

The words were like a terrible poison that sent a painfully cold shiver down Mosspaw's spine. She was horrified by her gray brother's sudden outburst.

_Stonepaw, no..._

Her brother had just agreed with the dumbest idea Mosspaw had ever heard. Not only that, but her brother had just agreed with Thistleclaw, who was a murderer.

_He's siding with a murderer..._

_But that murderer is Clan deputy...why wouldn't he?_ Mosspaw argued with herself.

_But why send her to the nursery? Sure, she's still a young warrior, but if she wants to retire then let her retire! Otherwise just let her help around camp. She can still help take care of everything that needs done in the camp..._

Sunstar looked like he was about to speak, but he closed his jaws when he shifted his gaze back to the medicine cat den. Mosspaw followed it to find Brindleface limping out of the nursery.

"Why should I join the nursery?" Brindleface spat. "Just because I'm injured doesn't mean I can't be useful!"

"But you can't fight in any battles," Thistleclaw meowed. "A warrior has to be ready to fight for the sake of the Clan."

"Who says I won't fight to the best of my ability?" Brindleface argued.

"You see that limp you've got right there?" Thistleclaw asked, nodding to her missing forepaw. "That makes it impossible for you to fight. You need all four paws to fight!"

Brindleface opened her jaws to speak, but she couldn't find anything to say. She closed them.

"You can't run anymore. You can't fight. You can't hunt. You can't be a warrior. But you're still a young cat, so I'm not about to let you join the elders' den. Instead, you should join the nursery. You can at least still provide future warrior for the Clan, can you not?"

"No! It's wrong to force someone to have kits just because they have been injured! Having kits is not the only way I can help the Clan!" Brindleface exclaimed.

"I'm not so sure about that," Thistleclaw meowed.

"I'm sorry, Brindleface, but Thistleclaw has a point," Sunstar meowed.

Mosspaw gasped. She ripped her gaze away from the injured she-cat to her bright ginger leader.

"What?" At first Mosspaw thought she herself had spoken, but a quick moment later she realized it was Brindleface's voice that matched the completely understandable outburst.

"You are far too young to retire, Brindleface. However, you can no longer be a warrior. Therefore it is your single duty to the Clan to become a queen and care for the kits of the Clan, as well as produce your own. You have a moon to find a mate or you will be removed," Sunstar finished.

"What in the name of StarClan? This is cruelty!" Brindleface exclaimed Mosspaw's own thoughts. "I've been injured and now you're forcing me to find a mate? You'll punish me if I don't? What is this? This isn't ThunderClan! At least, not the one I grew up in!"

"It was the will of StarClan that you were injured. Certainly that means they needed you elsewhere. It is the will of StarClan for you to have kits, Brindleface. I'm not going to let you defy the will of StarClan. At least, not while you're in my Clan," Sunstar added.

Brindleface hung her head in defeat. She limped back into the medicine cat den without another word.

"This meeting is over," Sunstar meowed. He leaped down from the highrock, summoned for Thistleclaw, and padded into his den. Thistleclaw said a quick goodbye to Stonepaw, who was sitting with him, before joining Sunstar. Mosspaw turned her head away from Stonepaw even though she saw he was walking her way.

"Thrushpelt," Mosspaw began.

"Yes?" her father asked her.

"What did Sunstar mean when he said Brindleface would be removed?" she asked. She already had a suspicion of what he meant, but she wanted to be sure.

"I don't know, but it can't be anything good, that's for certain," Thrushpelt replied. "Alright, well, I'm going to see if I can join a dusk patrol," he meowed before padding away.

Mosspaw sighed and turned to greet Stonepaw as he got closer. _That confirms my suspicions..._

"Hey, Mosspaw," Stonepaw meowed. Mosspaw could tell by the tone in his voice that he was unhappy.

"Hey, Stonepaw," Mosspaw replied, returning the coldness in Stonepaw's voice.

"We need to talk," Stonepaw meowed. "Not here," he added.

"You're right," Mosspaw meowed. "But not right now."

"Why not?" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"I want to visit Mistypaw," Mosspaw replied. "Surely you want to come with me?" she asked sourly.

"Of course," Stonepaw replied. "But she's not going to get any better..."

"Why would you say that?" Mosspaw cried out loudly. "You can't lose hope!"

"StarClan has already performed one miracle today. I doubt they can perform another," Stonepaw growled.

"What do you mean they've already performed one miracle today?" Mosspaw asked.

"Spottedpaw. She gets to be this Clan's _third_ medicine cat. I think StarClan just wants more cats by their side..." Stonepaw muttered softly.

"Hang on...you haven't lost your faith, have you?" Mosspaw asked. "Because if you have..."

"I'm not saying I don't believe in them anymore," Stonepaw meowed softly. "I'm just saying they're being unreasonably cruel to everyone right now. Except for, you know, a kit who wants to spend the rest of her life working monotonously for them every day. It's a little suspicious, isn't it?" He looked around to make sure no one was listening as he waited for Mosspaw's reply. She didn't give it to him. She changed the subject completely.

"I'm going to go visit Mistypaw first," Mosspaw meowed. "When I leave you can go in. Okay?"

"Wh—what? Why can't we visit her at the same time?" Stonepaw meowed. "She's our sister!"

"Yeah, but..." Mosspaw trailed off. The vision of the ginger kittypet entered her mind. All that blood...the loss of life...it was all for nothing... She didn't want Stonepaw to go down the same path, but it was clear to her now that he was taking kit-sized steps down the path as they spoke. She wanted nothing to do with it.

"But...?" Stonepaw asked.

"I want to talk to Mistypaw alone," Mosspaw decided as she spoke.

"About what?" Stonepaw asked curiously. His voice betrayed his discomfort. He obviously knew something was wrong. He obviously knew she was unhappy with something.

"It's about she-cat stuff," Mosspaw lied quickly.

"Eww!" Stonepaw exclaimed immediately. "Geez! Well, you have fun with that. Let me know when you're done, will you?"

"Of course," Mosspaw replied.

"I thought you were talking about something serious, too..." Stonepaw muttered.

Mosspaw purred in amusement as she padded away. _That was too easy,_ she couldn't help but think. _It's too easy to lie to Stonepaw... He has calmed down a lot to match my calmness, rather than having the same calmness as Mistypaw, but he's still just as dumbfounded and gullible as Mistypaw is sometimes... Well, if Mistypaw makes it..._

Mosspaw padded into the medicine cat den. "Hey, Mistypaw," she meowed gently.

Mistypaw opened her eyes. "Mosspaw?" she rasped.

"It's me," Mosspaw replied. "I came to visit you."

"Awesome. I've been getting pretty bored," Mistypaw rasped. "You know, all I get to do all day is think about how much dying sucks."

"You're not dying!" Mosspaw immediately exclaimed. "You're getting better!"

"Be honest with me," Mistypaw meowed softly. "I know I'm not getting better and you know it, too."

"I can at least be hopeful..." Mosspaw muttered.

"I know. Trust me; I appreciate it," Mistypaw added. "It's just...I don't want to live with a false hope. Especially when I know it's false."

"But I don't want to lose you..." Mosspaw whispered. She was about to take a seat, but she was caught off guard by Mistypaw's next comment.

"StarClan sure likes to judge," Mistypaw meowed.

"What makes you say that?" Mosspaw asked.

"Well, they clearly have a problem with me if they're going to make me this sick. They must have a problem with Brindleface, too," Mistypaw added, casting a quick glance at the mottled gray she-cat.

"You heard about what happened?" Mosspaw asked.

"I'm not as dumb as I seem to be, Mosspaw!" Mistypaw snapped. "I heard the meeting!"

"Oh; I thought you were asleep..." Mosspaw was barely able to stammer. Mistypaw's sudden anger concerned her.

"Well, I wasn't," Mistypaw meowed. "Are you done interrupting me? Can I continue or not?"

"Go ahead..." Mosspaw whispered.

"StarClan wants to get rid of us," Mistypaw meowed. "They took away Brindleface's paw...surely they'll take away the rest of her soon enough. Hopefully they won't make her wait long. I hope they take her when they take me. Whatever we did, Mosspaw, I hope they forgive us for it when they take us in..."

"Surely they don't want to get rid of you!" Mosspaw exclaimed. "It's probably just..."

"Of course they do," Mistypaw interrupted her. "They want to get rid of the useless."

Mosspaw was horrified. She couldn't say anything else. She couldn't find the right words. She couldn't find _any_ words...

"I'm right. I know I am," Mistypaw rasped. "Nothing you say will change my mind."

"I'm so sorry you believe that..." Mosspaw whispered. "I wish you knew just how strong you were. Maybe you would actually fight back if you did..."

Mosspaw gasped as soon as she realized what she had just said.

"I—I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it!" Mosspaw exclaimed.

"Of course you did," Mistypaw rasped. "I'm weak. I don't know how to be strong. I'm useless. Now leave me alone. Surely I'm at too low of a level for you..."

"No..."

"Leave!" Mistypaw cried. "Just leave me alone!"

Terrified, Mosspaw turned tail and ran out of the den from her sister. She ran past Stonepaw, who cried out to her and asked her if she was done, but she just continued on without a word. She ran out of the camp without telling anyone where she was going.

_I just...I don't know...I don't understand...I didn't think..._

Mosspaw skidded to a halt as she arrived in front of the Great Sycamore.

_Stonepaw said that Featherwhisker told him Mistypaw might go mad...but I didn't want to believe it...but it's true...it really is..._

Mosspaw sat down. The moon began to rise into the sky as she sat down. The stars were shining brightly.

_What are you looking at?_ Mosspaw wanted to cry. _StarClan...what do you want from Mistypaw? Why are you letting Stonepaw follow Thistleclaw? What do you want from _me_? What can _I _do for you that will keep you from taking the ones I love?_

* * *

**Icy: Why do I have to end the chapter on that depressing note? I really don't know...**

**Wingpaw: Icy, what is wrong with you?**

**Flarepaw: Why are you this cruel to us?**

**Icy: I really don't know... But poor Mosspaw... She just needed some time away from humanity, although I'm not sure what the correct Clan term for that would be...**

**Flarepaw: (stare) Did you really just...**

**Wingpaw: (ignoring Icy's comment) Hey, why is Sunstar so OOC this chapter?**

**Mistypaw: What's OOC?**

**Flarepaw: Out of Character.**

**Stonepaw: Oh...that makes sense...**

**Mosspaw: Stonepaw, you didn't ask the question...**

**Stonepaw: I was about to when Mistypaw got it.**

**Mosspaw: Right then...**

**Mistypaw: Hey! I thought _I_ always argued with Stonepaw! You can't take that from me, Mosspaw!**

**Flarepaw: I think she can...**

**Wingpaw: She obviously is...**

**Icy: Why is everyone arguing?! You're making this AN ridiculously long! I'm ending this AN before it gets any longer. Have an nice day! Look forward to the next chapter!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	23. Chapter 21: Numb Memories

**Icy: Heh heh. _Icethroat21._ Chapter _21_. Yay...**

**Wingpaw and Flarepaw: (stare through narrowed eyes)**

**Icy: Okay, so here's the thing. Originally, two years and a little more ago, I promised to update the allegiances around chapter 23 or 24, but things have changed and the page of allegiances by itself is against the guidelines (which I guess means I should probably fix the first one and put it with the prologue...oh well...). I don't want the second allegiances to get in the way of chapter 24 and make it seem longer than it deserves to be. Does anybody really care whether I put the new allegiances up here on FF or not? I have it updated for myself so I can keep up with it, but I'm not sure if I should put it here or not, which is why I'm asking for your opinions. So...**

**Wingpaw: Answer in a review or PM of whether or not Icy should put up the second allegiances or not.**

**Flarepaw: Dang. I didn't get to say anything.**

**Mistypaw: Alright, well, that's enough of that. Let's go ahead and start the chapter.**

**Mosspaw: I don't think so! It's your POV and you're gonna be the only one of the three of us to comment in the AN?**

**Stonepaw: I don't think so! That's so unfair, Mistypaw!**

**Mistypaw: Hey, show some respect! It's one of my last...**

**Icy: Spoilers! Stop it!**

**Wingpaw: It was already spoiled in the past...**

**Flarepaw: Long time ago we knew Mistypaw was gonna...**

**Icy: No. Dang it, no. I'm tired of putting too many spoilers up here. I want everything from here on out to be a surprise. No more hints!**

**Wingpaw: Don't worry, readers. This is just a random...**

**Mistypaw: Enough! What happened to no long ANs anymore? Start the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty One**

**Numb Memories**

* * *

"Let me go!" Mistypaw spat. "I want to get out of this StarClan fox-dung-ed den!"

"Mistypaw, please! You're being unreasonable!" Spottedpaw cried.

"_I'm_ being unreasonable? Try again! _You're_ being unreasonable by not letting me out of this foxhole!" Mistypaw hissed. A silver tom padded into the den as she finished speaking. Spottedpaw turned around.

"Featherwhisker! Thank StarClan you're here! Will you please help me take care of Mistypaw?" Spottedpaw begged.

_Who is this silver tom?_ Mistypaw thought angrily. She growled defensively.

"Whoa, Mistypaw, what's wrong?" the silver tom asked.

"I don't know you!" Mistypaw hissed in reply. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"It's me, Mistypaw. Featherwhisker."

"No. I know Featherwhisker. I don't know you. Why should I believe you?" Mistypaw asked.

"I'm a medicine cat," the silver tom meowed. "I can prove it to you."

"Sure you can," Mistypaw meowed. "Anyone can pick up a couple of herbs and name them."

"But not anyone can speak to StarClan," Spottedpaw meowed.

"What right do _you_ have to speak to StarClan?" Mistypaw hissed, turning to glare at her. "What right do any of us have to speak to StarClan? They're useless! They're just a figurehead! They don't matter! They're awfully cruel for being the bright light at the end of the tunnel of life..."

"Mistypaw, how dare you speak badly of StarClan! We worship StarClan and handle anything they send our way! It is our _duty_ as _warriors_ to obey their wishes," Spottedpaw meowed.

"Sometimes they cannot control what happens. Despite what StarClan wishes them to do, cats control their own destinies. Perhaps you were not meant to get ill, but you became ill anyway. What happens because of that is out of StarClan's control. They did not wish this to happen to you. They did not wish for Brindleface to become injured, either. Sometimes the bad things just happen," Featherwhisker put in.

"Brindleface? Who is Brindleface?" Mistypaw asked.

"The gray tabby she-cat who was in here earlier," Spottedpaw meowed gently. "Leopardfoot, a black she-cat, came in and wanted to talk to her, so she took her out of camp. Leopardfoot looked awfully heavy for it being leaf-fall, though; especially after the cold winds we've had lately... Featherwhisker, do you think she was expecting kits?"

"It's possible," Featherwhisker meowed. "I imagine her thick coat has hidden it for quite some time, though."

"Anyways, Mistypaw, you'd been ill for a quarter moon when Brindleface was injured. It's been another quarter moon since then," Spottedpaw meowed, "which means..."

"Spottedpaw, for StarClan's sake, I know how to count," Mistypaw meowed. "I've been sick for half a moon."

"Exactly," Spottedpaw meowed.

"Exactly my tail! It's obvious! Why does half a moon matter?" Mistypaw asked.

"I wanted to see if..." Spottedpaw trailed off. Her gaze moved from Mistypaw to the floor of the den.

"Wanted to see if what? If I could remember? I'm not going mad because of my illness, Spottedpaw. I'm going mad because I'm bored out of my mind! You're forcing me to stay in here! If you'd let me out then you'd realize I'm perfectly fine! I'm not in any physical pain! My illness is gone! Haven't you noticed? I'm not coughing anymore! That catmint worked some miracles!"

"The catmint just numbed your symptoms," Spottedpaw. "It didn't get rid of them."

"Are you sure? I feel fantastic!" Mistypaw meowed. "It was leaf-bare when I was born. I've seen cats die of greencough. They had catmint. They were in a lot of pain. I'm not in pain anymore. I'm not dying! Just give me a chance to prove it to you! Let me out of here! Spottedpaw, please!"

"I can't let you out of here," Spottedpaw meowed. "You're unstable. You couldn't remember who Featherwhisker was when he came in here. What's going to happen if you forget who is who at a border? What if you suddenly think you're a part of ShadowClan?"

"That would never happen—wait, I'm not?" Mistypaw changed mid-sentence.

"Oh, great StarClan..." Spottedpaw muttered. "What am I going to do...?"

"Relax, Spottedpaw! I was only joking!" Mistypaw meowed. "See? I really am getting better! Just let me out of here! Let me prove to you that I can do it! Please? At least let me help you collect some herbs. Now, I'm no medicine cat, but I can help you pick something if you show me what it is and explain how to get it first."

"I'm sorry, Mistypaw, but it's not up to me," Spottedpaw meowed.

"Honestly, it's not up to me, either," Featherwhisker meowed. "It's up to Goosefeather."

"Where is Goosefeather, then?" Mistypaw asked. "I want to give him a good talk."

"He won't allow it, I'm certain," Featherwhisker meowed. "Yes, you're physically fit to go back to your duties, but I'm worried about your mind. It's unstable. Your memories are..._numb_. They're in and out. Did you hit your head on a rock while you were swimming?"

"Or is it just an effect of the greencough?" Spottedpaw asked.

"Like I'm gonna know!" Mistypaw cried out. "I'm not a medicine cat!"

"Did you hit your head?" Featherwhisker repeated.

"I honestly don't remember..." Mistypaw replied slowly. "Sorry. I wish I could remember, but I can't..."

"It's okay. It's perfectly fine, actually. It explains a lot. If you can't remember it then it probably did happen. Head injury patients usually don't remember how they injured their head," Featherwhisker meowed.

"So you think...?" Mistypaw started.

"I think you might have a head injury, which is why it was so hard for you to fight off your greencough. However, it seems as if you have. We'll give you catmint for a couple of days to make sure, but now I think your road to recovery is going to be a lot easier. We just have to exercise your memory," Featherwhisker meowed. "I'll have to clear it with Goosefeather first, but..."

"Why?" Mistypaw asked.

"He's still technically my _mentor_," Featherwhisker replied.

"That's a shame," Mistypaw commented.

"It really is..." Spottedpaw agreed. "He needs to retire. If anyone is losing their mind and going mad, it's not you; it's him."

"I'm honestly going to agree with that statement," Featherwhisker meowed. "Don't give up just yet, Mistypaw. I think you're going to be fine. I think you've gotten through the hardest part of your illness; the greencough. Now we just have to exercise your memory and you can get back to your training in no time."

"Just another moon at the most," Spottedpaw meowed. "I know it seems like a long time, but it's better than dying, isn't it?"

"Hey, I'm not complaining!" Mistypaw meowed. "I'm ready to get back to doing what I'm supposed to do."

"Who wouldn't be?" Spottedpaw agreed. "Come on. Featherwhisker, can she come with me to stock up on burdock root, which seems to mysteriously disappear lately?"

"Um...sure," Featherwhisker replied. "Talk to me more about this disappearing burdock root later, though."

"Of course," Spottedpaw replied. "Come on, Mistypaw! Let's get you out of here!"

"Where is Mistypaw going?" a speckled gray tom asked as he entered the den.

Mistypaw jumped. "Who are you?" she exclaimed.

"It's okay, Mistypaw; this is Goosefeather. You'll remember him soon enough," Spottedpaw promised encouragingly.

"She has memory loss now? She's gotten that much worse?" Goosefeather asked Featherwhisker.

"She's getting better," Featherwhisker countered. "I think she's had a head injury of some sorts. If she had a head injury then she wouldn't remember it. Her greencough seems to have gone away, so I think that after we exercise her memory some she can return to her training and be as good as new."

"No," Goosefeather meowed coldly. "This has gone far enough. Where are the deathberries?"

* * *

**Icy: Mistypaw sees a bright light filled with hope...and Goosefeather just shoots it down... Oh, and yeah, I'm gonna leave you with that cliffhanger. You can enjoy it. You know you like it.**

**Wingpaw: Icy, you sure are cruel...**

**Flarepaw: You sure are a mean one, Icy...**

**Icy and Wingpaw: (stare at Flarepaw through narrowed eyes)**

**Mosspaw: Is that seriously how you're going to end my sister's last POV chapter?**

**Mistypaw: What? But it looks like I'm getting better! I'm not in any pain! It's just a head injury! It's just my memory that's an issue!**

**Stonepaw: Memories are pretty important...**

**Icy: Actually, you get a POV even after your death, Mistypaw, so don't get ready to leave our ABBD crew just yet.**

**Misypaw: Really? Awesome! (pause) But wait a minute...I thought I was getting better...?**

**Icy: Well, you'll just have to see, won't you?**

**Wingpaw: Now that seemed like a spoiler to me.**

**Flarepaw: What happened to no more spoilers?**

**Icy: Well... (completely changes subject) I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Look forward to the next one!**

**Wingpaw and Flarepaw: (sigh)**

**~Icy and the crew**


	24. Chapter 22: Serious Accident

**Wingpaw: Icy...**

**Icy: I know, I know...**

**Flarepaw: It's been eight days...**

**Icy: Yes, Flarepaw, it has been. I can count.**

**Flarepaw: Are you sure?**

**Mistypaw: Come on, Icy, I really want to know what happens to me!**

**Icy: Well, don't worry, Mistypaw. You get to find out this chapter. Just like everyone else.**

**Stonepaw: Geez, it's taken long enough...**

**Mosspaw: It really has...**

**Icy: I'm sorry, okay? I had this very time-consuming math project to work on for most of the week, and the other time I spent actually hanging out with my family. It's not like writing fanfic is the only thing I do in my life...**

**Wingpaw: You don't...like us?**

**Icy: No, don't get me wrong. I love writing fanfic. What I'm saying, though, is that I'm not going to spend all of my time writing fanfic. I have a life outside of fanfic and I want you to remember that.**

**Wingpaw: Geez...that was a little mean...**

**Flarepaw: Just slightly...**

**Icy: Okay, okay. Sorry. However, I'm going to end this here because this AN is getting really long! Here's the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**Serious Accident**

* * *

"Hey Stonepaw, can you take some prey to the nursery?" Stormtail asked.

"Of course," Stonepaw replied. He dipped his head to his mentor before padding over to the fresh-kill pile. He grabbed a couple of mice and a sparrow before he made his way over to the nursery. When he padded inside he almost dropped the fresh-kill in shock. He wasn't surprised by the sleeping white ball of Frostfur, but he was very surprised by the three kits that were sleeping with Brindleface, who was watching over them with kind eyes.

He padded over to the gray tabby queen and softly set the fresh-kill down.

"Hello, Stonepaw," Brindleface meowed kindly.

"U—uh...Hi..." Stonepaw stammered.

Brindleface purred in amusement. "I assume you want to know where the kits came from?"

Stonepaw nodded.

"Their mother cannot care for them," Brindleface replied. "These kits are not mine, but I will care for them as if they are mine."

"I thought you didn't want to have kits," Stonepaw meowed. "You seemed pretty upset when Thistleclaw proposed his idea."

"You were the first to agree with his idea," Brindleface retorted. She glared at him for a moment, but she quickly shook it off. "You're just a kit, though. What do you understand right now?"

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Stonepaw asked sternly.

"You don't understand what you're doing," Brindleface meowed coldly. "Agreeing with Thistleclaw? It will lead you down a cold path."

"Cold? I'm plenty warm. Besides, leaf-bare will be here soon. Of course my path is going to be cold. _Any_ path I go down is going to be cold," Stonepaw meowed.

"You're so naïve!" Brindleface spat. "Why can't you see it? Isn't it obvious? I wish you were more like your sister."

"Which sister?" Stonepaw asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you had two. You're only going to have one soon enough," Brindleface hissed.

"Don't talk about Mistypaw that way!" Stonepaw hissed back.

"Mistypaw is only the first in a long line of cats!" Brindleface growled. "You're going to shed so much blood..."

"I will only shed blood to protect my Clan, which is something you need to learn about," Stonepaw meowed coldly.

"_What?_ I lost my paw for this Clan!"

"You weren't willing to have kits for it. You still aren't! These kits aren't even yours! Whose are they?" Stonepaw demanded.

"It's none of your business whose they are!" Brindleface spat. "Their mother..."

"Oh. Stonepaw. I didn't realize you were in here. Hello." Stonepaw turned around to see Leopardfoot. The black she-cat's green eyes were wide.

"Hello, Leopardfoot," Stonepaw meowed calmly. He forced himself to put his anger at rest. He quickly glanced at Brindleface to tell her to do the same. Luckily for him, she already had. He turned back to the black she-cat. "What are you doing here, Leopardfoot?"

"I just came to visit m—these kits," Leopardfoot tried to catch herself, but it was too late. Stonepaw caught it.

"Are _you_ the mother of these kits?" Stonepaw asked.

"So what if I am?" Leopardfoot asked.

"How could you give up your kits?" Stonepaw exclaimed. _Especially to someone like _her? Stonepaw added to himself, taking another quick glance at the gray tabby queen.

"Stonepaw, you'd never understand..." Leopardfoot whispered.

"Try me," Stonepaw demanded.

Leopardfoot sighed. "Fine. If you must know, I didn't mean to have kits again. I've had kits before, and the experience didn't end very well for me. I had three kits. Two of them were dead within a day. The third...well, according to Goosefeather, he's a vermin..."

"Tigerclaw," Stonepaw realized. "Wait, you're _Tigerclaw's mother_?"

"You didn't know?" Brindleface asked. "It's not a secret."

"These three kits, however, _are_ a secret," Leopardfoot meowed. "Don't you dare reveal my secret to anyone!"

"What's the big deal? Okay, so it was bad before, but surely it could be different this time!" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"Tigerclaw's father is Pinestar," Leopardfoot meowed.

"The leader who left to become a kittypet?" Stonepaw exclaimed. "Wasn't he really old, though? And weren't you young at the time?"

"I thought I could try again. With someone much closer to my age this time..."

"Who?" Stonepaw asked.

"I don't know," Brindleface retorted.

"I wasn't asking you," Stonepaw retorted back.

"What does it matter to you? Besides, their father doesn't even know he's their father! I've told you I'm their mother, but that's all I'm telling you," Leopardfoot snarled.

Stonepaw stepped back. "Wow...I'm really starting to understand all those elders' stories about queens who become scarier when their kits are mentioned in any foul way..."

"You still have a lot to learn, though," Brindleface retorted.

"So...why did you give up your kits?" Stonepaw asked hesitantly.

Leopardfoot sighed yet again. "I want to stay a warrior. I want to train an apprentice some day. Is it so bad to want to help my Clan?"

Stonepaw shook his head but said nothing. _Wow, I think I'm really glad I'm not a she-cat. I'd hate to have to choose between having kits and having an apprentice..._

"So, Brindleface, how are my kits doing?" Leopardfoot asked.

"They're doing just fine," Brindleface replied kindly.

"What are their names?" Stonepaw asked curiously.

Brindleface glared at him. "Seriously?"

"Relax, Brindleface," Leopardfoot meowed. "Stonepaw, what did you to? Ruffle her fur the wrong way? Anyways, the little copy of me is Nightkit, the gray tabby with gray eyes is Featherkit, and the white one with violet-colored eyes is Lavenderkit. They're all she-cats," Leopardfoot added.

"You know what color their eyes are already?" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"They've already opened up their eyes, mousebrain," Brindleface snapped. "They just happen to be _sleeping_ right now."

Stonepaw was about to retort to the gray tabby queen about how she needed to stop snapping and spitting at him, but he was stopped by a loud cry that came from outside of the nursery.

"Mistypaw, no!"

Stonepaw ran out of the den as fast as he could, but it felt like time was slowing down. Each pawstep thumped in his ears. He skidded to a halt as he found it.

The blue-gray body.

"Mistypaw..." he whimpered.

"Mistypaw? Mistypaw!" Stonepaw lifted his head only for a moment to see his gray-and-white sister running over. She skidded to a halt and nearly fell over as she realized it was too late. There was nothing they could do.

She was already dead.

"Mistypaw, no..." Mosspaw whimpered.

Stonepaw forced himself to stand up and look away from his sister's body. "Who did this?" he snarled, looking around the clearing with a look that said 'I dare any of you to say something to me.'

"She did," Goosefeather replied, padding over to him. "I tried to get her to stop, but it was too late."

"Stop what?" Stonepaw hissed.

"She thought she was eating juniper berries, but she was actually eating deathberries. I told her to wait and I'd get her the herbs she needed, but she was too stubborn and _had_ to get them for herself. If she would have just been patient then this wouldn't have happened," Goosefeather meowed calmly.

"Deathberries? She had greencough and she died of _deathberries_?" Mosspaw exclaimed, beating Stonepaw to it.

Goosefeather shrugged. "It happens."

"It happens. It happens? _It happens?_ Goosefeather, my sister is dead and you're acting like it's no big deal! What is wrong with you? Are you even a proper medicine cat?" Stonepaw hissed.

"Are you blaming me? This isn't my fault," Goosefeather meowed.

"We don't know that," Mosspaw meowed coldly. "Perhaps you should have kept a better watch over her."

"My back was turned because I was putting an ointment together to help Stonepelt with his aching legs so he could sleep. Mistypaw was so quiet...I didn't know what was happening until I heard her choking," Goosefeather explained.

"Are you being serious right now?" Stonepaw asked coldly. "Do you honestly expect us to believe this foxdung?"

Goosefeather shrugged. "It's probably for the better that she's dead, anyway. Mistypaw was losing her mind. She was going mad. She was losing all of her memory. She got angry with Featherwhisker and me for no apparent reason more and more every day. Mistypaw is better off now than she was when she was alive. It is for the better that she is dead. Now she cannot hurt anyone. The greencough took her before she could take any lives."

"Take any lives...?" Stonepaw struggled to hold himself back.

"Mistypaw was nowhere close to taking any lives!" Mosspaw exclaimed. "She was..."

"I know what I saw in that cat for the last half moon," Goosefeather meowed. "Let me tell you, it wasn't getting better." He padded away before Stonepaw and Mosspaw had the chance to make any retorts to him.

Stonepaw turned to Mosspaw. "Whatever is happening between us, forget it. We need to settle this. We have to do what's right for Mistypaw," he whispered to Mosspaw so that she would be the only one who heard him.

Mosspaw nodded in agreement. "Of course," she whispered in reply. "It's what's right. It's what we'll do. It's what we _have_ to do."

Stonepaw nodded.

_Mistypaw, what happened to you? Did you really just _accidentally_ eat _deathberries_? Or is there something more to this?_

* * *

**Icy: Yeah. Not the happiest thing I've ever written, but it's actually not the saddest thing I've written, either.**

**Stonepaw: That's really surprising...**

**Mosspaw: That's really sad...**

**Wingpaw: No it's not.**

**Flarepaw: Our story was also really sad. There were a couple of points when I thought...**

**Mistypaw: No one cares about your story! Stop trying to take the glory from our story!**

**Stonepaw and Mosspaw: (nod in agreement)**

**Mistypaw: Icy, how could you do this to me? Don't I at least get to die a brave death?**

**Icy: I said you would die. I didn't say your death would be very glamorous...**

**Mistypaw: (hangs head in sadness)**

**Icy: Now, now. Pouting won't do anything to change it. What's been done has been done.**

**Wingpaw: Meanwhile...welcome aboard, Mistypaw! What would you like to play first? SSBB? Mario Kart? Or would you rather have a marathon of a TV show...?**

**Mistypaw: What...?**

**Flarepaw: Brawl it is!**

**Stonepaw and Mosspaw: …? (stare through narrowed eyes)**

**Icy: Woah, this AN is getting really long! Well, I have to admit, it's kind of difficult to keep Crookedstar's Promise away from this story. ABBD was started when SkyClan's Destiny hadn't even been around yet. I finally got Yellowfang's Secret (the first time, ever, that I haven't gotten a Warriors book the day it came out) and I'm going to read it sometime this week. It's going to be difficult to keep whatever happens in YS out of this story, too. This story is already complicated. I don't even have any Gatherings in the outline... The last thing I need is Mapleshade or Brokenstar trying to make their way into this story... I mean, I've already added something in that wasn't originally in the outline... Anyone want to guess who the father of Leopardfoot's kits is? I honestly didn't figure it out until half an hour ago because I originally never said, but I figured it added a plot twist...**

**Mistypaw: This AN is getting really long...**

**Stonepaw: You should end it now...**

**Icy: Dang this AN is long! That's almost embarrassing... Scratch that, it _is_ embarrassing... I'm ending this before it gets any more hectic!**

**~Icy and the Crew**


	25. Chapter 23: Advice and Information

**Wingpaw: Aw man... We've only got two more days to live...**

**Flarepaw: (sigh) You're kidding me, right...?**

**Wingpaw: Of course I am! How stupid do you think I am?**

**Flarepaw: (forces a laugh) Yeah... about that...**

**Wingpaw: (stare)**

**Mistypaw: Hang on a minute, you mean tomorrow at 6:00...**

**Wingpaw: Which is not at the same time in every location of the world...**

**Mistypaw: ...people actually think the world's going to end?**

**Icy: Does it really matter? Come on, I want to get this chapter started already. I need to study for my Physics exam sometime today...**

**Wingpaw: Hey, Icy... Where have you been for the past week and more?**

**Icy: Living my life.**

**Wingpaw and Flarepaw: (stare)**

**Icy: Okay, this week I have had exams. Also, I've finally gotten around to playing my NSMBWU game, which is even more difficult than NSMBW was. Plus, the box sets I ordered off of Amazon arrived and I've been watching them...**

**Mistypaw: And...?**

**Icy: And this AN is getting really long already! Let's get to the chapter! Ironically, it's raining right now while I write this...**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Three**

**Advice and Information**

* * *

"_Whatever is happening between us, forget it. We need to settle this. We have to do what's right for Mistypaw."_

That was easier said than done when their views were completely different.

Mosspaw shook her gray paw to attempt to get the water out of her fur, but when she set it back down in the grass there was just another big splash. She looked down at the ground while she trudged through the grass to keep the rain from getting in her eyes, but she had to look up to keep the splashes from hitting her eyes. She was almost ready to give up, turn around, and go back.

Almost.

She wouldn't give up, though. _I have to do this for Mistypaw. Stonepaw, you said so yourself. We need to settle this. You're right, we do. We have to settle what is between us. The only way we are ever going to do that is if I can reveal Thistleclaw's cruelty to the Clan and get him out of your sight while it's not too late...if it isn't too late already..._

Mosspaw took a short break as she stood inside the hollow of a tree. The rain was pouring down faster than she could think about where she was going. Lightning cracked the black sky above her head. The thunder scared her so much it nearly made her jump out of her fur. The falling rain was loud enough; the thunder just made it all worse.

_It's even louder in this hollow... I guess I should get out of here..._

Mosspaw slowly put a front paw out of the hollow into the grass. She was about to take a step when the thunder boomed again. She jumped. Her extended paw landed awkwardly on the edge of the hollow. She forced herself to get up. She crouched her muscles down to jump out of the hollow. Just as she extended them lightning crackled above her. It scared her and caused her jump to miss by a long shot. She ended up falling out of the hollow rather than jumping.

Mosspaw got to her paws. She was covered in grass. She shook her pelt but it didn't help any. Groaning, she made up her mind.

_I've got to keep going. I've figured out Thistleclaw's weak spot. I have to take advantage while I can._

Thistleclaw had given her the next few days off to recover from her sister's death. He hadn't said so, but Mosspaw knew he was thinking of Snowfur.

_Snowfur. She is Thistleclaw's weakness. He actually loved her... It's hard to believe it, but he was my aunt's mate. He is kind of kin to me..._

Mosspaw shook her head. She refused to acknowledge Thistleclaw as her kin.

She padded forward a few more steps before jumping again at the repeated sound of thunder.

_This sure is a lot of effort just for a bit of information..._

Mosspaw was on her way to the Twolegplace where the ginger kittypet, Rusty, had been killed. She was going scouting for any more information. She was going to ask around and see if any other kittypets had been killed. It was unlikely, but Mosspaw had nowhere else to go for information. She didn't want anyone becoming suspicious of her in ThunderClan.

Mosspaw sighed in relief when she found herself at the fence of the Twolegplace. She waited for a couple of minutes before she realized the flaw in her plan.

_I'm going to have to go inside to talk to anyone..._

She flattened her ears in dismay. _There's no way I'm going in there... But after all this, I don't want to leave without any information..._

"Hey! What are you doing out there? Are you trying to get yourself sick?"

Mosspaw turned to where she heard the voice. Sitting at the door of one of the houses was a light brown tabby she-cat with a white chest, white paws, and light green eyes. Inwardly groaning, Mosspaw leaped over the fence and over to the she-cat. She stood at the door under the protection of some sort of awning of the house.

"Well?" the she-cat asked.

"I'm out here looking for information," Mosspaw meowed.

"Okay. Well, I'm Princess," the kittypet meowed.

"I'm Mosspaw. Did you ever know a cat named Rusty?" Mosspaw asked.

Princess shook her head. "I think he was my brother, but I never met him. Sorry."

Mosspaw flattened her ears in disappointment. "Alright. Thanks. Well, I've got to go."

"No. The storm is too dangerous out there. Come inside with me for a bit. My folk won't mind," Princess meowed.

"I'm not going in there." Mosspaw meowed immediately. Pausing for a moment, she added, "Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. I just meant that I can't go inside."

"Why not?" Princess asked.

"The code I follow..."

"Oh, are you one of those wild cats?" Princess asked.

"I'm a warrior."

"You look too young to be a warrior," Princess meowed, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, I'm training to become a warrior," Mosspaw meowed.

"That sounds better. So why are you out here? Why did your teacher make you come out here?" Princess asked.

"Mentor," Mosspaw corrected, "and he didn't. I chose to come out here."

"What kind of stupid idea was that?" Princess asked dumbfoundedly.

"Stupid? You mean mouse-brained?" Mosspaw asked, tipping her head to the side.

"Sure," Princess replied.

"Well, something has happened and I'm looking for information..."

"What's happened?" Princess asked. "Can I help you any?"

"I just..." Mosspaw broke off. She suddenly felt really stupid. She didn't know what to say. She realized she had wasted her time coming out here. There was nothing to find at the Twolegplace. She was just finding something to occupy her time so she wouldn't think about Mistypaw's death. There was no information to be found in the Twolegplace. Everything she needed to know she could find in her own Clan if she searched hard enough.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you; I should go," Mosspaw meowed, dipping her head.

"Wait. You seem really unhappy. You mind if I tell you a story before you go?" Princess asked kindly.

Mosspaw looked up at the kittypet. She sighed and let her head fall. "Sure. Why not?"

"You may as well take a seat and rest," Princess meowed.

"Oh joy. Is this going to be a long story?" Mosspaw groaned.

"No. It's really short, actually, but I think it will help you," Princess meowed.

"How is a really short story going to help me?" Mosspaw asked once she settled down on the really uncomfortable whatever-it-was that the Twolegs called it.

"The story of the Phoenix is really short, but there's a good lesson to learn from it," Princess began.

"The _Phoenix_?" Mosspaw exclaimed. "What in the name of StarClan is that?"

"Right, um, I don't know what this _StarClan_ thing you speak of is, so I'm just going to continue what I was saying," Princess meowed.

"Right. Sorry," Mosspaw muttered.

"I've heard this story from my housefolk, actually," Princess meowed.

"You mean Twolegs?" Mosspaw asked.

"Sure. Anyway, the Phoenix was a mythical creature. It was a bird made of fire. When it died it turned to ashes. But there was never any worry. Another Phoenix always rose from the ashes of the previous Phoenix," Princess meowed.

"There was always another one to rise from its ashes..." Mosspaw whispered.

"Yes," Princess replied.

"So...what next?" Mosspaw asked.

"That's it," Princess replied.

"That's not really a story..." Mosspaw muttered.

"I know. It's more of a myth than anything, but I think it was helpful to you. I can see it in your eyes, um, _Mosspaw_. Now tell me, did it help?" Princess asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Mosspaw confessed. "I feel like it's important for me to know, but I can't understand why..."

"I'm sure you'll find out some day. Just don't forget, alright? Maybe it'll help you sooner than you think," Princess meowed.

"Thanks," Mosspaw meowed kindly.

"Now, tell me," Princess meowed. "I want to be able to help you. What's wrong? What has made you so unhappy?"

"My...my sister died," Mosspaw replied slowly. "She died of greencough."

"Did she?" Princess asked.

"Well, our medicine cat said she was going mad and that she accidentally ate deathberries, but it was the greencough that caused her to go mad..." Mosspaw trailed off.

"Now hang on. Those are two completely different things. Greencough doesn't cause you to go mad. If greencough if what I think it is, then your medicine cat is very stupid," Princess observed.

"Mouse-brained," Mosspaw corrected.

"Of course," Princess meowed sarcastically.

"Sorry. It's instinct," Mosspaw apologized.

"Mm-hmm. Sure it is," Princess meowed. "Anyway, cats don't go mad when they get greencough."

"She had another small injury. A cut. She fell in the river from a large rock and cut her paw on the rock," Mosspaw meowed.

"That doesn't make any difference," Princess meowed.

"But Featherwhisker said..."

"Featherwhisker is your medicine cat?" Princess asked.

"Well, Goosefeather is. Featherwhisker is his apprentice," Mosspaw meowed.

"Has Featherwhisker ever known this to happen before?" Princess asked.

"I don't think so... He probably just assumed so from a story he had heard from Goosefeather..." Mosspaw broke off.

"A story from his teacher—mentor?" Princess asked, correcting herself.

Mosspaw nodded slowly.

"If I were you then I'd go back to the start and look at everything. Look for something out of place. Something that doesn't fit..." Princess meowed.

"The deathberries! Mistypaw wouldn't just eat deathberries for no apparent reason..." Mosspaw meowed.

"Did I help any?" Princess asked kindly.

"Absolutely!" Mosspaw replied. "I've got to go now. I know where to look! I can figure this out! Thank you so much!"

"Maybe you shouldn't go yet," Princess meowed. "This storm isn't getting any better. Did it get worse?"

"Does it matter?" Mosspaw asked. "I need to get home soon anyway."

"Well, be careful," Princess meowed. "Come back and let me know if you need any more help. I'll be glad to give you any more advice I can."

"Thanks, Princess," Mosspaw meowed. "I'll be sure to do so."

"It's StarClan, right? May StarClan light your path," Princess meowed.

"Thanks," Mosspaw meowed. She turned to walk away, but she turned back. "You got it right. It's StarClan."

"Awesome," Princess meowed.

"See ya," Mosspaw meowed kindly.

"See ya!" Princess meowed back.

Mosspaw gave her a final nod. She waited for Princess to go back into her house before turning and running through the storm as fast as she could. She jumped over the fence. She landed clumsily on the other side. Her paws slipped in the grass and she fell on her side. She tried to push herself up but her paws just slipped again. The rain fell down from the blackened sky and pelted against her fur.

_StarClan, help me..._

She tried to look around at her surroundings but the force of the rain shut them against her will. She felt as if she was sinking. She tried rolling over onto her stomach. She put her nose to the ground and opened her eyes so she would be facing away from the rain, but the mixture of green and brown beneath her paws was all a blur as her eyes closed themselves. Her head dropped and everything went black.

* * *

**Icy: Okay, so... I struggled trying to get the end of this chapter to match my outline. I eventually just changed the ending. I took out the major part of the next couple Mosspaw chapters and I'm completely changing them. Hopefully it'll turn out okay...**

**Wingpaw: Seriously?**

**Mistypaw: I thought you couldn't change anything now...**

**Icy: Anything significant. I've been struggling ever since I brought this story back from the dead of how to get these couple of chapters to work and they just never add up, so I'm completely changing the equation.**

**Flarepaw: And why do we care...?**

**Icy: Good point. Alright, well, I've got to go study for Physics... Who am I kidding? I'm just gonna glance over my notes in the morning before the bell rings. It'll be fine...**

**Wingpaw: I'm sure you're going to do fantastic.**

**Flarepaw: You're being sarcastic, right?**

**Mistypaw: What are exams...?**

**Flarepaw: (sigh)**

**Wingpaw: Mistypaw, we've got some catching up for you to do...**

**Icy: Alright, I've really gotta go now. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Mistypaw: With that kind of cliffhanger?**

**Icy: Yeah, yeah... I know... I've had a lot of cliffhangers lately... I'm turning evil... Or maybe I just think that cause of...**

**Flarepaw: Nobody cares!**

**Wingpaw: I thought you were in a hurry, anyway...**

**Icy: Oh yeah... Well, this AN is getting really long now, so I'm gonna cut this off here. See you next time!**

**~Icy and the Crew**


	26. Chapter 24: Epiphany

**Icy: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. Holidays are really busy, ya know?**

**Wingpaw: Sure...**

**Flarepaw: Whatever excuse you come up with this time...**

**Mistypaw: Does it really matter? At least it wasn't two years...**

**Icy: Mistypaw's got a point. Alright, well, since it took so long to update I won't keep you waiting any longer.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Four**

**Epiphany**

* * *

"_Whatever is happening between us, forget it. We need to settle this. We have to do what's right for Mistypaw."_

Stonepaw pushed the bones of his shrew aside as he noticed Thistleclaw padding over to him.

"Stonepaw, how are you?" Thistleclaw asked him kindly, sitting down next to him.

Stonepaw looked up and glared at his deputy. "How do you think I am?" he retorted.

Thistleclaw sighed. "I didn't expect any more. You have the day off?"

"Of course I do," Stonepaw muttered in reply. "It's kind of hard to train when your sister's death is gnawing at the back of your mind."

"Well come on, then. I've got something that'll cheer you up," Thistleclaw meowed. "What do you say we go for a walk?"

Stonepaw sighed. "Sure, why not? It's gotta be better than staying in camp all day."

Thistleclaw got up to his paws. Stonepaw remained where he was.

"I didn't say it would cheer me up, though," Stonepaw added.

"Come on, Stonepaw. I think you'll be thinking a lot differently once I tell you where we're going," Thistleclaw encouraged him.

Stonepaw looked at him. "Where are we going?"

"I can't tell you here," Thistleclaw meowed. "I'll tell you in a bit, once we're out of camp."

Stonepaw grudgingly got to his paws. "Fine. My curiosity is getting the best of me."

* * *

"Thistleclaw, I don't like surprises," Stonepaw meowed angrily. "Where are we going?"

"Fourtrees," Thistleclaw replied.

Stonepaw perked his ears up. "Why?" he asked curiously.

Thistleclaw stopped and turned around to face him. "You know how I'm planning a rebellion? To restore ThunderClan to what it used to be?"

Stonepaw nodded.

"Well, there are cats from the other Clans who are going to help us. We call ourselves the Alliance."

"The Alliance," Stonepaw repeated.

Thistleclaw nodded. "Exactly."

"So does that mean...we're going to meet them?" Stonepaw asked excitedly.

"Yep," Thistlecalw replied.

"Awesome!" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"See? I told you it would cheer you up. Besides, you've earned it. It's about time you met them, anyway," Thistleclaw added.

"I have to be honest. This is cheering me up. Thanks, Thistleclaw," Stonepaw admitted.

"Of course," Thistleclaw replied. He looked up at the sky, which was covered in storm clouds. It looked like it was going to pour on them at any minute. "We'd better hurry. I think we'll be able to avoid the storm."

"Alright," Stonepaw meowed.

Thistleclaw turned back around and began padding forward. Stonepaw wondered whether to make light conversation or not, but he decided against it. Instead, something in the back of his mind came forward and he found the words were speaking themselves before he could decide against them.

"I don't like that Brindleface," Stonepaw retorted. "She told me I was wrong to agree with you about her."

"Oh, don't worry about her. She's just sour over her loss is all," Thistleclaw replied.

"She couldn't even have her own kits," Stonepaw continued the insults. "She took someone else's."

"Don't worry. We'll take care of her soon enough. Her kits, though...Whose are they, anyway?" Thistleclaw asked.

"Yeah," Stonepaw replied. "Leopardfoot's. I don't care for her much, either. Can we take care of her, too?"

"Leopardfoot?" Thistleclaw exclaimed surprisedly.

"Yeah..." Stonepaw repeated himself. "Why? What's it matter to you?"

"Oh, um... Don't worry about it..." Thistleclaw stammered, quickening his pace.

"Wait a minute...are they _yours_?" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"We all make mistakes," Thistleclaw replied curtly.

Stonepaw had a lot more questions to ask, but Thistleclaw was saved from hearing them as they padded through the entrance to Fourtrees. There were a lot more cats than Stonepaw had expected to see. He had never been to a Gathering, even though he had been training for almost three moons now, so he was taken back by the large number of cats.

Thistleclaw padded forward to greet the others without a second thought. Stonepaw hesitated to follow him.

"Come on up," Thistleclaw meowed kindly. "They don't bite. Well, they won't bite you. At least not now."

"That's really reassuring..." Stonepaw muttered sarcastically as he ran up to catch up with his deputy.

"Hello everyone," Thistleclaw began. "This is Stonepaw."

"Is he your apprentice?" A dark gray-and-white she-cat asked.

"I can only wish," Thistleclaw replied. "His sister is my apprentice, but he shows much more potential then she does."

"You must be really special then," the same dark gray-and-white she-cat meowed. "Hi. I'm Hollyflower. I'm from ShadowClan. It's nice to meet you Stonepaw," she added.

"It's nice to meet you," Stonepaw dipped his head to her.

"These are all of the cats from ShadowClan," Hollyflower continued. "This is Fawntail, Sparkpaw, Whitestripe, Russetpaw, Firetail, Blackpaw, and Archeye," she meowed, pointing to her respective Clanmates with her tail.

Stonepaw was bombarded with even more new names and faces as Dawnstripe of WindClan introduced Applepaw, Spottedtail, and Morningpaw to him and Amberstripe of RiverClan introduced Fleckedpaw, Leopardpaw, and Ottersplash to him. Stonepaw was surprised his neck didn't hurt after dipping his head so much to all of the new cats he met.

"Now that we're done with the introductions, let's get to the official business of this meeting," Thistleclaw meowed.

"Of course," Amberstripe replied.

"All is well in ShadowClan," Hollyflower meowed. "There's not much to report. I think Yellowfang might be done with her training under Sagewhisker, but there's no telling between those two strange medicine cats."

"Some cats we'll just never be able to understand," Thistleclaw muttered in agreement.

"WindClan is going to suffer a lot when leaf-bare gets here," Dawnstripe meowed.

"Is it not here already?" Amberstripe muttered.

"It's not supposed to be. It's supposed to be early leaf-fall," Dawnstripe replied.

"There sure are a lot of awfully cold winds for leaf-fall compared to leaf-bare..." Hollyflower retorted.

"Some cold enough to kill my sister after a brief fall in the river," Stonepaw commented.

All eyes immediately turned to him. Stonepaw's heart suddenly pounded a lot quicker. He realized he was basically at a Gathering, except for only specific cats, and that he had given something away.

"I—I'm sorry...I was out of line to speak," Stonepaw whispered.

"No, it's okay," Thistleclaw meowed. "These are the kinds of things we need to discuss here. Thank you for bringing it to attention," he added.

"Wh—what?" Stonepaw stammered.

"More proof of Sunstar's failure," Thistleclaw meowed.

_Wait, what does the weather have to do with Sunstar's leadership?_ Stonepaw didn't dare to say anything. He'd already spoken out of turn once and he wasn't about to do it again.

"The cold winds?" Hollyflower retorted, clearly thinking the same thing Stonepaw was.

"No, of course not," Thistleclaw replied. "He hadn't assigned enough warriors to keep a decent watch on the apprentice. Mistypaw fell in the river because her mentor wasn't watching her close enough to keep her away from the edge."

_Hang on... Sunstar doesn't assign patrols, you do... Besides, Thrushpelt is her mentor, not Sunstar..._

"Of course," Amberstripe meowed. "He should have assigned a better mentor to her."

_They're insulting Thrushpelt,_ Stonepaw realized. _My father isn't a bad mentor! Mistypaw wasn't exactly the smartest apprentice... Oh StarClan... I just insulted my dead sister... No... StarClan, this can't be happening..._

"Sunstar's mistakes aren't just causing ThunderClan its honor anymore. His mistakes are leading to the death of young apprentices now. Stonepaw and his sisters, well, sister now, thanks to Sunstar, haven't even been training for three moons! Three more apprentices were apprenticed yesterday! Thankfully one of them is a medicine cat. Spottedpaw will be able to watch out for Sunstar's mistakes with the guidance of StarClan, but I worry for the other two..." Thistleclaw trailed off. Stonepaw couldn't help but wonder if it was for dramatic effect or not.

_This is wrong..._ Stonepaw couldn't help but think. _Thistleclaw doesn't know what he's doing. None of these cats do. Sunstar is leading ThunderClan to become weak, but Thistleclaw's rationale is insane. This isn't okay... I don't belong here. I'm smarter than these cats._

"I'm sorry, Thistleclaw," Hollyflower meowed.

"We wish you the best of luck," Dawnstripe put in.

"May StarClan be with you," Amberstripe agreed.

"Thanks," Thistleclaw meowed. "Come on, Stonepaw, let's get back to camp."

Stonepaw nodded in farewell to all of the other cats, but he didn't dare speak any words. Stonepaw thankfully turned around and followed Thistleclaw out of the Fourtrees area.

_I'm smarter than these cats,_ Stonepaw decided. _If I'm going to restore ThunderClan to what it needs to be, I'm going to have to do it on my own. But I can still use the Alliance... I'm just an apprentice. If something were to happen, Thistleclaw could take the blame, not me. Besides, I'll work with the Alliance to take care of Sunstar, but then I'll take care of Thistleclaw myself._

Stonepaw paused to drink some water from the river as Thistleclaw waited for him up ahead.

_No. I can't work with these cats. They're all insane. But I can't face Thistleclaw alone. I'll have to pretend to work with him until the time comes for me to turn on him. Sunstar is weak, but at least he's sane. I'll have to take care of Thistleclaw _before_ I take care of Sunstar. And I know just the cat to help me..._

Stonepaw lifted his head, feeling refreshed after drinking the water. Making the decision made him feel better in general. His epiphany solved several of the problems he had. He now knew how to settle the disagreement that kept him from solving the truth behind his sister's death. He knew exactly who he needed to work with to take down his deputy.

Mosspaw.

* * *

**Wingpaw: Holy...**

**Flarepaw: This just got real...**

**Mistypaw: Was it fake...?**

**Flarepaw: For StarClan's sake, someone introduce her to an internet meme!**

**Mistypaw: ?**

**Icy: Mistypaw, the phrase is (whispers it to her).**

**Mistypaw: Oh! But we're avoiding cussing...**

**Icy: Exactly...**

**Wingpaw: Icy, what have you done? Did Stonepaw just come back to the good side? Or did he fall deeper into the dark side than we ever could have imagined?**

**Icy: I'm honestly not sure. I'm going to have to do a _lot_ of editing to my timeline, though. I just changed about ten to twenty chapters worth of stuff. I originally planned for Stonepaw to be fascinated with the Alliance and follow every word they say and, well, I'm not giving the rest of that away, but I will say that I have a lot to change now.**

**Wingpaw: Have fun with that.**

**Icy: Yeah...thanks...**

**Flarepaw: Say, I remember Hollyflower and Archeye from somewhere...**

**Icy: They were in Yellowfang's Secret. Oh yeah, let me say this before I forget, the characters in this story do _not_ have the same histories and personalities as they do in Yellowfang's Secret or Crookedstar's Promise. The only characters from those books in this story are the ones that were in the allegiances of Bluestar's Prophecy.**

**Wingpaw: What she said.**

**Flarepaw: That's what...**

**Icy: Great StarClan this AN is getting long!**

**Flarepaw: Aww...**

**Icy: Yeah I interrupted what you were about to say. Anyways, I'm going to end this AN before it gets even longer. I hope the next update will be quicker than this one! I can't make any promises, though! I've got Region Band auditions next weekend so this obviously isn't at the top of my list of things to do. Sorry, but that's the way it is. I'll try and update soon, though! I've still got a few days left of my Winter Break, so hopefully I'll get at least one, if not two, more updates between now and next weekend. If not, then good luck at life and see you next upate!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	27. Chapter 25: Important Visit

**Wingpaw: What?**

**Flarepaw: We're updating two days in a row?**

**Mistypaw: Awesome!**

**Icy: I know, right? Anyways, before I forget, I want to mention a couple of things. Yes, I know the time line is wrong in a few places. For example, Rusty's cameo was off due to Spottedpaw's age. Let me briefly express my joy at the lack of FireXSpotted in this story.**

**Wingpaw: …?**

**Icy: Okay, now that that's done, let me continue with my comments. I know the time line is wrong, but I feel like that's okay. This is an AU. Everything won't be right in line...**

**Flarepaw: (cough) Excuses... (cough)**

**Icy: Yeah, yeah, I know, but moving on...**

**Mistypaw: Really?**

**Icy: Absolutely. Okay, so a few people have been asking for me to put Wingpaw and Flarepaw's original story back up. I'm sorry, but that's _never_ going to happen. I can't find a nicer way of saying this, but their story _sucked_.**

**Wingpaw: _What?_**

**Flarepaw: That was mean!**

**Icy: No! Not the characters! The story line!**

**Wingpaw: Oh, okay...**

**Flarepaw: That's a bit better...**

**Icy: It's just... I tried going back and reading it and it made no sense to me. There's no way in hell I'm going to put up a story for others to read that makes no sense to me. Besides, it would require a _lot_ of editing, and I'm not putting that much effort into something that I think sucks. Sorry.**

**Mistypaw: Aww... I really wanted to read it...**

**Icy: Don't be completely disappointed. I _am_, however, going to write them a new story. It just won't be put up here for a long time. Not until I finish this story, or at least not until I finish Zero Two.**

**Wingpaw: Aww...**

**Flarepaw: That's a long time...**

**Icy: I know, I know. Now that all that's over with, this AN is getting really long. Sorry about that. I had a lot to say, though. Without further ado, enjoy chapter twenty five! Mistypaw's even in it!**

**Mistypaw: (gasps) Yay!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Five**

**Important Visit**

* * *

Mosspaw opened her eyes and jumped up in shock. She had no idea where she was. She didn't recognize any of her surroundings. There were trees everywhere, which was usual for her, but the major difference was that every single leaf in this forest was dappled with the brightest starlight Mosspaw had ever seen. Starlight dappled Mosspaw's own gray paws, nearly forcing Mosspaw's eyes to close themselves. Just as her eyes finally adapted to the bright light a young blue-gray she-cat padded up to her. Mosspaw nearly jumped up and down in joy.

"Mistypaw!" Mosspaw exclaimed.

"It's me," Mistypaw replied gently.

"Where are we?" Mosspaw asked.

"We're in StarClan territory—at least, I _think_ we are..." Mistypaw trailed off, looking around them at the beautiful starlight-dappled forest.

"You aren't certain?" Mosspaw exclaimed disbelievingly.

"Well... I haven't been greeted by anyone yet," Mistypaw confessed in reply.

"But you haven't done anything wrong!" Mosspaw exclaimed. "Why haven't they greeted you yet?"

"I need your help," Mistypaw confessed.

"Okay..." Mosspaw meowed.

"First of all, for StarClan's sake, when you wake up get yourself out of that storm! Are you trying to end up like me?" Mistypaw added sternly.

"Sorry about that..." Mosspaw muttered. However, she was filled with joy at the usual retort in her sister's voice. It made her feel at home in this extremely bright territory.

"Secondly, my death...is not what you think it is," Mistypaw continued. "I cannot tell you anymore. Well, that seems like the clever StarClan thing to say and I'm going to hold myself to it..."

"Are you sure? I don't think you'd accidentally eat deathberries, no matter how sick you are," Mosspaw retorted.

"Don't spoil this for me, Mosspaw!" Mistypaw exclaimed.

Mosspaw purred in amusement. "I have my suspicions, but can you tell me what really happened?"

"You'll figure it out soon enough without my help," Mistypaw retorts in reply. "Besides," she continued, "you must discover that for yourself."

"Keeping up this clever StarClan thing, are we?" Mosspaw asked, her amusement not fading away in the slightest.

"When you do discover what happened...you'll know what to do next. I won't need to tell you," Mistypaw continued, ignoring Mosspaw's comment.

Mosspaw sighed, letting the amusement fade away. "So, when I do this...someone will come greet you?" she asked.

"I think so..." Mistypaw replied.

"I thought they were supposed to greet you as soon as you die," Mosspaw commented.

"So did I," Mistypaw agreed.

"So...what now?" Mosspaw asked.

"I wish you could stay longer," Mistypaw confessed.

"I can't?" Mosspaw asked.

"You've got to go," Mistypaw replied. "If you want to live through this storm you've let yourself get caught in," she added. Mosspaw didn't miss the retort.

Mosspaw purred in amusement. "Mistypaw, thanks for coming to visit me."

"Thanks for visiting _me_," Mistypaw replied.

"I'm sorry I have to go. It feels like I just got here," Mosspaw admitted.

"Same here," Mistypaw meowed.

"See you soon?" Mosspaw asked.

"I hope not," Mistypaw replied.

"What?" Mosspaw exclaimed.

"I don't want you joining me up here! You need to live!" Mistypaw replied.

"Oh. Good. I thought you meant..."

"I know what you thought I meant," Mistypaw meowed gently. "Good luck, Mosspaw. Succeed for me. Make sure you don't fail, alright?"

"I will," Mosspaw promised in reply.

"Now wake up."

Mosspaw hadn't realized her eyes had closed until she felt them snap open. The comfort of the starlight and being with her sister immediately faded away. It was all replaced with the same storm as before. Mosspaw rolled over to get the rain out of her eyes. She forced herself to get to her paws.

_I've got to get back to camp,_ she thought to herself. _I have to help Mistypaw. But before that, I have to help myself..._

Mosspaw drug her paws through the mud as she got farther away from the Twolegplace. When she arrived at the Great Sycamore she sighed in relief.

_Almost there..._ she thought.

She lifted her head proudly as she took a rest underneath the Great Sycamore.

_Don't worry, Mistypaw, I'm almost there. You'll be able to join everyone else in StarClan soon enough. Trust me; I won't fail you. I'm going to find out just exactly what happened with these deathberries and make sure whoever is at fault suffers for what they've done..._

* * *

**Icy: Mosspaw's pretty angry, isn't she?**

**Wingpaw: Sure seems that way...**

**Icy: This chapter was shorter than I thought it would be. Sorry about that...**

**Flarepaw: Hey, who cares? You updated two days in a row!**

**Icy: True to that.**

**Mistypaw: And I was in the chapter!**

**Icy: Yes, you were. Alright, well, to make up for the short chapter, I'm going to see if this AN can actually be short. I'm going to go ahead and end this before it gets long. Alright, well, look forward to the next chapter!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	28. Chapter 26: Fun With Kittypets

**Icy: I am a terrible person. We actually get two updates in two days, leading everyone to a hopeful time of plentiful updates, and then I don't update for two weeks.**

**Wingpaw: Icy, you aren't just a terrible person.**

**Flarepaw: You're a cruel person.**

**Icy: I know, I know... I'm going to make it up to you, though. With this update.**

**Mistypaw: But isn't there a cliffhanger at the end?**

**Icy: Yeah, but... Hey, look! This is chapter twenty-six! That means we've hit the half-way mark! Alright!**

**Flarepaw: (widens eyes)**

**Wingpaw: Wow! What a concept!**

**Icy: Oh yeah, so, I know I mentioned I had a cool idea for a sequel, but I'm not sure if I'm going to carry through with it or not. I'm leaning towards not. I have other stories I want to write. For instance, Wingpaw and Flarepaw deserve to have a story of their own. A better one than they originally had.**

**Mistypaw: I looked through their old story and... it was so confusing... I don't even want to think about it...**

**Icy: Exactly. Okay, well, I've kept you long enough. Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Six**

**Fun With Kittypets**

* * *

"Well done," Thistleclaw meowed as Stonepaw easily landed on the other side of the river.

"It wasn't any trouble," Stonepaw replied. "At all."

"I truly wish you were my apprentice," Thistleclaw meowed.

"As do I," Stonepaw replied. The words left a disgusting taste on his tongue, but he quickly lapped up some water from the river to wash it down. When he got up, he asked, "Are we going back to camp now?"

"Not yet," Thistleclaw replied.

Stonepaw tipped his head to the side. "Why not?"

"There's something I need to check on, first," Thistleclaw replied. "Come on. Let's go this way," he meowed.

"Where are we going?" Stonepaw asked sincerely.

"Twolegplace," Thistleclaw replied.

* * *

Stonepaw slowly came to a stop and glared at the fence.

"Thistleclaw, why is this fence so shiny?" Stonepaw asked. The sunlight was gleaming off of the white fence. He narrowed his eyes to try and block out most of the pain caused by the light.

Thistleclaw ignored his question and let out a low growl.

Stonepaw paused and scented the air. _Mistypaw!_ He realized he recognized her scent.

"Is it just me or is that Mistypaw's scent?" Stonepaw asked Thistleclaw out of curiosity as to whether that was what made him growl or not.

"You're imagining things. There's no way Mosspaw would have left camp after Mistypaw's death. She not strong enough for that," Thistleclaw retorted.

"Yeah, that's my sister for you," Stonepaw forced himself to stay calm while he lied in reply. "As useless as Mistypaw."

"It's because Thrushpelt is their father. Luckily their failures didn't rub off on you. You're special, Stonepaw," Thistleclaw added.

"I guess we really did miss that storm," Stonepaw completely changed the subject. He stared at the ground, which was soaked with mud. Stonepaw's paws were wet but his ears were dry. It was a strange feeling. He wondered if this was how ShadowClan cats felt all the time. _How do Hollyflower, Fawntail, and...the rest of them live like this?_

"Hey, Stonepaw, would you mind waiting here by the fence for a few minutes?" Thistleclaw asked suddenly.

"Uh...sure..." Stonepaw replied.

"Good. Thanks," Thistleclaw added before jumping over the fence without any difficulty. Dumbfounded, Stonepaw peered through the cracks of the fence to see what in the name of StarClan his deputy was doing.

Thistleclaw padded over to one of the houses. A light brown tabby she-cat with light green eyes sat in front of it, washing her white paws.

"Hi, can I help you?" the kittypet asked.

_What is he doing?_ Stonepaw exclaimed in his thoughts.

Thistleclaw didn't speak. He pushed over the kittypet and began slicing through her belly with unsheathed claws.

Stonepaw continued to watch as Thistleclaw thoughtlessly murdered the light brown kittypet.

_Huh_, he thought. _So that's what it's like to murder someone. That's pretty cool..._

Thistleclaw turned around and walked away as soon as he was done. He didn't even pause to look at the remains of what he'd done. Stonepaw backed away from the fence to give Thistleclaw some room to land as he jumped over the fence.

"That was pretty impressive," Stonepaw admitted honestly. "I want to be able to do that!"

"Really?" Thistleclaw asked.

"Of course!" Stonepaw replied.

"Well, don't worry, Stonepaw. You'll get your chance sooner than you may think," Thistleclaw meowed.

"Alright!" Stonepaw exclaimed excitedly.

_It'll be good experience,_ Stonepaw thought to himself. _Mosspaw won't approve, but I don't need her approval. All I need is her assistance. I may as well have a little fun while I'm at it._

* * *

**Wingpaw: Wait a minute, we're ending this here?**

**Icy: Yep.**

**Flarepaw: Why? Icy, why?**

**Mistypaw: Wasn't this chapter a bit short?**

**Icy: Sorry about that. Yet again, the outline was more detailed for this chapter about the dialogue, which made it seem like it'd be longer when in reality it's shorter. It's sad, but true.**

**Wingpaw: So... why did you kill Princess?**

**Icy: You'll figure it out later.**

**Flarepaw: Will we really?**

**Icy: Yes, you will. I don't say these things for the heck of it.**

**Mistypaw: Right...**

**Icy: Anyways, uh... I'll try to keep this AN from becoming extremely long by cutting it off here. Look forward to the next chapter! We wrap up this "mini arc" of Mistypaw's death!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	29. Chapter 27: Checkmate

**Icy: Just gonna go ahead and give the warning. This chapter is probably gonna be a bit short.**

**Wingpaw: What? Why?**

**Icy: Again with the excessively detailed outline entry.**

**Flarepaw: Aww... I'm tired of these short chapters...**

**Icy: I know, I know. I really am sorry that they're so short. I'm also sorry that it's taking me so long to update. I'm really busy right now. Don't expect very many updates within the next month. That's just the way it goes.**

**Mistypaw: Aww...**

**Icy: Don't be so sad, Mistypaw, everything with your death is finally resolved this chapter.**

**Mistypaw: Really?**

**Flarepaw: Yay!**

**Wingpaw: Finally. It's taken long enough...**

**Icy: Right then. I won't keep you any longer. Here's chapter twenty seven!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

**Checkmate**

* * *

Mosspaw sighed in relief as she padded into the ThunderClan camp. _Finally... it took me long enough to get out of that storm._ The storm had decided to settle just as she returned to camp. The sun's rays were just starting to poke through the clouds as the sun was ready to set. The part of the sky that wasn't covered in clouds shone with orange and magenta that mixed to create the beautiful sunset.

_Are you ready, Mistypaw? 'Cause I am._

Mosspaw headed straight over to the medicine cat den. She didn't even bother to stop and say hello as Mousepaw and Runningpaw tried to greet her. She entered the medicine cat den without hesitation, startling Featherwhisker as he was setting some herbs down. A couple of leaves fell. Featherwhisker gently set the others down.

"Do you mind?" Featherwhisker snapped at her.

"Sorry," Mosspaw muttered. She shuffled her paws as she impatiently waited for Featherwhisker to finish moving the herbs he had been moving.

"Can I help you?" Featherwhisker asked as soon as he finished. He slowly padded over and sat down as Mosspaw opened her jaws to speak.

"I had a dream," Mosspaw finally confessed.

"Really?" Featherwhisker twitched an ear. "Cats have dreams all the time, you know..."

"Mistypaw was in it," Mosspaw put in.

Featherwhisker sighed. "You probably just miss her, Mosspaw. It's completely natural. You miss your sister. It's hard to lose kin. I don't know what I'd do if Sunstar were to die today."

_You'd probably be okay because he has multiple lives..._ Mosspaw kept herself from retorting. She took a moment to remind herself that Featherwhisker was Sunstar's brother.

"It's natural," Featherwhisker repeated. "Does the dream come back? Do you want poppy seeds to help you sleep or something?"

"It's not like that!" Mosspaw exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Featherwhisker asked.

"Of course! Mistypaw spoke to me!" Mosspaw put in.

"What did she say?" Featherwhisker asked.

"She said..."

"Was that all you could find?" Featherwhisker gasped. Angry at being interrupted, Mosspaw turned around to find out why she had been interrupted. Goosefeather and Spottedpaw were entering the den. Spottedpaw only had a couple of leaves of catmint. Spottedpaw nodded as she padded over to the store of herbs and gently set them down.

"That's all that was left," Goosefeather meowed. "At this rate there won't be any left for leaf-bare."

"Who are we kidding? It's already leaf-bare," Featherwhisker retorted.

"No it's not," Mosspaw couldn't help but putting in. "It's only leaf-fall."

"With these cold winds? The herbs won't survive. Cats are already getting sick—and dying," Featherwhisker added. "Mosspaw, you should understand that more than anyone else. Of course..." Featherwhisker stopped himself mid-sentence. He shook his head. "Goosefeather, help Mosspaw. You'll be able to help her better than I can."

Featherwhisker stood up. He beckoned to Spottedpaw to follow him before exiting the den. Spottedpaw, surprised by the sudden request, twitched her ears as she followed her mentor through the den entrance.

"So what's the problem?" Goosefeather asked Mosspaw.

"I had a dream," Mosspaw meowed. "Mistypaw was in it."

Goosefeather opened his jaws to say something, but Mistypaw kept going.

"Before you tell me it's just me mourning, you're wrong. I spoke with Mistypaw. She needs my help. You're the medicine cat. That's why I came to you. You're good at interpreting dreams. I need help helping Mistypaw."

Goosefeather looked her dead in the eyes. Mosspaw jumped. The look in Goosefeather's was one she had never seen before.

"_Kin of the blue flame will form an even stronger flame, which will destroy the claws of blood once and for all."_

Mosspaw slowly backed away from Goosefeather. Her terror increased every step. She was lost for words. Goosefeather had just spoken a prophecy.

Goosefeather shook his head to clear it. The look in his eyes returned to that of which Mosspaw was used to. It still wasn't very comforting.

Goosefeather simply sat there and watched her, as if he was observing her reaction. Mosspaw got the sense that he had been waiting a very long time to see her reaction to this prophecy.

_This prophecy... why is he telling it to me?_

Mosspaw took another step back.

_Is this prophecy... about me...?_

Mosspaw was about to open her jaws to question Goosefeather about the prophecy when she stepped on something soft and mushy with her hind paw. She turned around to see dark red berry that was partly crushed up.

Mosspaw stared at the berry. "Goosefeather, what are these?" she asked. "They don't _look_ like juniper berries..."

"Oh, they're deathberries," Goosefeather replied calmly. "You know, the ones your sister accidentally ate."

Mosspaw took a closer look at the deathberries. The small teeth marks of an apprentice Mistypaw's size and age were missing. Instead, there were clean claw marks.

_Checkmate._

"You did this, didn't you?" Mosspaw asked rhetorically, turning to face Goosefeather as she asked the question. She couldn't wait for his reaction. Everything was falling in to place as it was supposed to. Just like Mistypaw had told her it would. Mosspaw suddenly felt confident in every word she said and every paw step she took as she side-stepped away from the deathberries to give Goosefeather a better view of his masterpiece

"Who's to say Featherwhisker or Spottedpaw didn't do it?" Goosefeather asked calmly.

Featherwhisker returned to the den at that moment. Spottedpaw was no longer with him. Mosspaw assumed he had given Spottedpaw some sort of task to keep her away while what was about to happen happened.

"Goosefeather did it," Featherwhisker meowed without hesitation. "He asked me where the deathberries were. I didn't tell him. I assume he found them anyway, even though I hid them from him. He told everyone that Mistypaw accidentally ate them—even me. I see now that was not the case," Featherwhisker added with a quick glance at the pile of deathberry mush left by Mosspaw's recent step.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Goosefeather asked calmly.

"Tell Sunstar about it," Featherwhisker replied. "You'll be kicked out of the Clan."

"No he won't," Mosspaw meowed. "He'll retire. He's so old that everyone will just assume he's gone insane. He'll be moved to the elders' den immediately, won't he?"

"Of course he will," Featherwhisker retorted in reply.

"So why tell the entire Clan he's a murderer? Just let them settle with the fact that he's old. Goosefeather," Mosspaw continued, turning from facing Featherwhisker to Goosefeather. "Ask Sunstar if you can retire. If you don't retire on your own, then we _will_ tell Sunstar about what you did to my sister," Mosspaw added.

"It seems as if I have no other choice, doesn't it?" Goosefeather retorted.

"That's what I thought," Mosspaw retorted back, nodding to Featherwhisker in approval. It was settled.

"I'm going to go tell Spottedpaw..." Featherwhisker muttered, quickly padding out of the den.

_I did it, Mistypaw. You can enter StarClan now, can't you? I've settled it. Goosefeather is going to be punished for what he did to you. But it's not a cruel punishment. I think you'll appreciate it. Won't you? You've never liked cats being punished, so I figure this is the best solution to quell your discontent up there. Now go enjoy your time in StarClan!_

Mosspaw contently lifted her head as she began to exit the medicine cat den. However, Goosefeather was determined to get in one last phrase as a medicine cat before his retirement.

"Kin of the blue flame will form an even stronger flame! Which will destroy the claws of blood once and for all!" Goosefeather cried.

Mosspaw shook her head to clear it of Goosefeather's nonsense as her paws reached the entrance.

"It's coming for you, Mosspaw! The time for action is almost here! Never hesitate to do what's right! Make sure you're ready! Don't let it knock you down in surprise! Mosspaw! _Mosspaw!_" Goosefeather kept trying to get her attention, but Mosspaw briskly padded away from the ex medicine cat.

_Okay, he's not just insane because of what he did to my sister. He's literally going insane. All this stuff about a prophecy and whatnot—it's just insane. That's what Goosefeather is. Insane. And I'm not going to let him get to me!_

Mosspaw padded over to the fresh kill pile. Stonepaw was on his way over there.

"Mosspaw!" Stonepaw exclaimed, running over to her once he saw her. "What's going on? I just got back from training. What did I miss?"

"We got him, Stonepaw," Mosspaw whispered in reply.

"Him? Who did we get?" Stonepaw asked.

"Goosefeather. We got him. Featherwhisker and I convinced him to retire. He's going to pay for what he did to Mistypaw—and he's going to do so while watching us every day from the back of a den crowded with cats too old to properly care for themselves. We got him, Stonepaw," Mosspaw whispered.

"We got him," Stonepaw repeated the words to convince himself that they were true.

Mosspaw purred. "This calls for a celebration. Come on, you can pick from the pile before I do."

"Wow! You must be really happy if you're being this nice to me!" Stonepaw exclaimed. "I think I'll take this offer while I still can!"

"Nope! Too late!" Mosspaw meowed teasingly as she immediately grabbed the vole Stonepaw was going for.

"Hey!" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"You'll have to get it from me!" Mosspaw teased, grabbing the vole and running over to the apprentices' den. Stonepaw tackled her and quickly took the vole back from her.

"Got it!" Stonepaw cried in victory.

Mosspaw and Stonepaw both purred in amusement as they sat there. They eventually decided the vole was big enough for both of them to share. They basked in the light of the rising moon as they finished the vole.

_We got him, Mistypaw. We won!_

* * *

**Icy: Holy StarClan...**

**Wingpaw: What?**

**Flarepaw: What's wrong?**

**Mistypaw: This is actually a happy ending to a chapter! What could be wrong, Icy?**

**Icy: That's the problem. It's a happy ending to a chapter. I didn't realize I was capable of such a thing...**

**Wingpaw: (facepalm)**

**Flarepaw: Icy...**

**Mistypaw: So what's after this?**

**Icy: What?**

**Mistypaw: Well, now the mini-arc of my death is over. What's next?**

**Icy: Well, there's the whole thing with Stonepaw and his allegiance with the Alliances, plus Mosspaw's finally heard the prophecy for the first time. Mosspaw is ready to get back at Thistleclaw for what he did to Rusty, but her need to finish everything off is going to increase once she finds out what he did last chapter... Mosspaw better enjoy this feeling of victory and happiness while she can because it's not going to last very long...**

**Wingpaw: How is she going to react to Princess' death?**

**Flarepaw: Will Stonepaw follow the light? Or is he forever sworn to the dark side? And for that matter, is he going to follow the dark side? Or is he going to make his own dark side?**

**Wingpaw: He can't just make his own dark side! There are two sides! Light and dark! You can't just make another one!**

**Flarepaw: I was speaking figuratively!**

**Mistypaw: (sigh) Icy, remind me why I was excited to join this crew again...**

**Icy: Well, it's a fantastic doorway to the world of video games...**

**Mistypaw: (pops up) That's good enough for me! Let's go beat Bowser's kids in NSMBWU!**

**Icy: (sigh) Well, it's been fun! I can't promise another update very soon, but hopefully it won't take as long as it did this time. Sorry about the relatively short chapter. It was definitely longer than the last few chapters, though. Improvement in chapter length is always a good thing. See you next time!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	30. Chapter 28: Inevitable Sacrifice

**Icy: Hey, everybody. It's been a while since I've last seen you guys...**

**Wingpaw: Two months, Icy. Two months. And a couple of days. You aren't looking so well in the fanfic world.**

**Flarepaw: Seriously, Icy, we were worried. We don't want to have another two year break.**

**Mistypaw: Please, Icy! Don't do that to us again!**

**Icy: Yeah, well... Okay, here's the truth. I've lost interest in fanfiction. Oh yes, it's happened again. I hadn't done anything Warriors related for a couple of months until two days ago. I didn't even get The Sun Trail the day it came out. I didn't read it until two days ago. It's almost been a month since it came out. Considering the Warriors fanatic I used to be, that's kind of scary. So for now, thanks to The Sun Trail, I've actually remembered that I have to unfinished stories on here and I'm going to try and finish them. I can't guarantee it, but I can promise that I'll try. Who knows; maybe I'll get interested in it again once I start working with it again.**

**Wingpaw: Icy, you're making all of us sad.**

**Icy: I know. In return, I'll keep the AN short. Let's go ahead and get to the chapter. Real quick, though, I have to put a disclaimer in this chapter because some of this stuff comes from BP: I don't own warriors. Alright, now we can continue along. Here's the chapter.**

**Mistypaw: Yay! I'm in it!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

**Inevitable Sacrifice**

* * *

_We got him, Mistypaw! We won!_

A light gray she-cat recognized her sister's voice in the wind rushing past her face, but she pushed it away so she could watch the scene unfolding before her eyes. She was following a blue-gray she-cat, much larger than her, in the snow. A gray tom was on one side of her flank and a gray-and-white she-cat was on the other. These two cats were her brother and sister. She recognized them, but they didn't recognize her. They couldn't even speak. Well, they could, but... their words weren't their words. Not the words that she knew her siblings would speak. The blue-gray she-cat in front of her could speak. These words sounded more familiar; these words sounded more like the words of the mother she knew.

"Come on. We can practice hunting another day."

The voice and words may have sounded familiar, but the situation around her sure didn't. Her mother shook snow off of her whiskers. Mistypaw didn't understand. She knew the winds this season were colder than usual for leaf-fall, but she didn't think it was leaf-bare yet. Why was there snow? And more importantly, why were she, her mother, and her siblings walking through it?

Although Mistypaw didn't understand why she was where she was, she knew one thing: the snow was colder than she remembered it being. She knew she had been born during leaf-bare, which seemed so long ago for her, but she didn't remember it being this cold. The snow was so cold that Mistypaw found herself shivering violently. She turned to her her sister was exhausted. Her eyes were glazed over.

"Can we go home now?" Mosspaw begged. "It's cold and I'm tired."

Mistypaw was shocked. She never figured Mosspaw for a cat to say that. _That seems more like something I'd say and less like something you'd say..._ Mistypaw couldn't help but think.

"We have to keep moving." Bluefur's voice was sympathetic.

_Why are you doing this to us? _Mistypaw wanted to ask. She watched as Bluefur grabbed Stonekit out of a drift.

"I don't want to play this game anymore!" Mistypaw cried. _What the... Those aren't my words! What am I saying? What's happening?_

Then it dawned on her. Suddenly it all made sense.

_I'm acting this out. Whatever is happening... that's what I said. Is this the past? I don't remember ever going out into the cold and playing a game... but maybe it did happen and I just don't remember it... I have to watch and see what happens._

"Just a bit further," Bluefur promised them.

Mosspaw huddled up next to Mistypaw. Mistypaw was thankful for the contact, but the heat she felt was none. Instead she felt even colder. She realized her sister was much colder than she was.

"I can't feel my paws," Stonepaw complained. "How can I walk if I don't know where my paws are?"

"I've got an idea," Bluefur replied. She scooped some snow up with her paws and made a hole for them. "In you go," she meowed. Mistypaw stumbled in alongside her brother and sister. "I'll be back in a moment," Bluefur promised before bouncing away.

_What?! You're leaving us here all alone? _Mistypaw was terrified. She was relieved when her mother returned.

"Where did you go?" Mistypaw cried.

"We thought you weren't coming back!" Mosspaw wailed.

"Oh, my precious kits... I'll always come back," Bluefur promised.

Bluefur picked each of them up and dropped them into tiny holes dug up in the snow. She picked them up individually. Once they were all in one hole Bluefur dug up another one and then put them in it.

_Where are you taking us?_ Mistypaw wanted to ask. _And what did I mean earlier by a game?_

"Can we go home now?" Stonepaw begged.

"There's someone we need to meet first," Bluefur meowed.

"Who?" Mistypaw asked curiously.

"Let's all rest here for a bit," Bluefur meowed, ignoring her question. Mistypaw twitched her ear.

"Can we go home yet?" Mosspaw whimpered.

"You can sleep here for a while," Bluefur replied.

Mistypaw was amazed to find her sister had already fallen asleep. Mistypaw wanted to sleep as well. She got closer to her sister.

"It's been a good adventure. Did we win?" Stonepaw asked, yawning.

"Oh yes, little one," Bluefur replied. "You won."

_What is it that he won? Did he win? Did _we_ win? What is this game we were playing?_ Mistypaw had so many questions yet she expected no answers. She was too cold and tired to care.

Bluefur began to wash Stonepaw and try to warm him up, but he complained so Bluefur moved on to Mistypaw and Mosspaw. Mistypaw was thankful for her mother's warmth. Mosspaw lay completely still.

_Mosspaw? Mosspaw, are you okay?_ Mistypaw wanted to ask.

"Mosskit? Mosskit!" Bluefur cried.

_Moss_kit_? This doesn't make any sense!_

"Mosskit, please wake up," Bluefur begged, licking Mosspaw's pelt harder to try and wake her up. "Mosskit, please. There's warmth and safety just on the other side of the river. Your father will look after you, I promise. Just a little bit farther, my tiny, brave daughter."

_The river! Is she taking us to Oakheart! But why would she do that...?_

"No! Don't take her, please," Bluefur cried after a few more frantic licks. Bluefur stared at Mosspaw in defeat.

Terrified, Mistypaw turned and realized what was happening. Mosspaw was dead.

_Mosspaw, no!_

"It was her time. I'll take care of her in StarClan."

Mistypaw jerked her head up. This voice was not a part of the vision; at least, not for her it wasn't. The vision was over.

"Snowfur," she realized it aloud.

"Now do you see it?" Snowfur asked her.

Mistypaw closed her eyes. All she could see was her sister's dead body. She opened them and looked down through the pool. All she could see was her own dead body.

"Thistleclaw was not supposed to become deputy," Snowfur meowed. "Bluefur was."

"But she didn't... because she had kits..." Mistypaw meowed slowly.

"Exactly. Because she had you and your siblings to take care of, she could not fill the role she was meant to play," Snowfur meowed. "Goosefeather tried giving her our message. He told her that her kits would drown in blood with the rest of their Clanmates unless she acted differently. We even sent her a sign which had Thistleclaw drenched in blood, but her love for you overpowered all of it."

"So now..." Mistypaw trailed off. Snowfur continued her thoughts aloud.

"Mosskit's death was supposed to convince Bluefur into action. The loss of her kits was supposed to allow her to become deputy. Thistleclaw became deputy because Bluefur couldn't. To put it short, your life will cause many deaths," Snowfur meowed to her.

"My life? My life is over," Mistypaw meowed. "I'm dead, in case you'd forgotten."

"You haven't been dead for long," Snowfur retorted.

"I'm dead, but Mosspaw is alive. Mosspaw is supposed to be dead... and I'm supposed to be alive? With Oakheart, my father, in RiverClan?" Mistypaw asked.

"Bluntly, yes," Snowfur replied.

"This is very complicated," Mistypaw couldn't help but say.

"I know, I know," Snowfur meowed.

"But I'm dead now... and Mosspaw solved it all. I would have lived if it weren't for Goosfeather," Mistypaw meowed.

"Goosefeather felt that one of Bluefur's kits had to die at the river. Mosspaw didn't. You didn't. But you almost did. He had to finish the job," Snowfur explained.

"So it was inevitable," Mistypaw concluded.

"Wh—what?" Snowfur stammered.

"My death. It was inevitable?"

"No, of course not! Mosspaw was never supposed to become an apprentice!" Snowfur exclaimed. "You were supposed to live. She was supposed to die!"

"But she lived. I had to pay the price because Bluefur wouldn't," Mistypaw meowed coldly.

"In a way..." Snowfur trailed off. She closed her eyes. "Yes," she finally meowed after a while of uncomfortable silence. "You're right. You're connecting things I didn't, but everything you're connecting is correct."

"Mosspaw better enjoy her life," Mistypaw growled.

"She might not get to," Snowfur meowed. "What Goosefeather warned Bluefur of is true. Because Bluefur kept her kits, many cats are going to die. The Clans will drown in blood if someone does not stop it."

"Mosspaw didn't die... but I did. Will this trigger the reaction Bluefur was supposed to have?" Mistypaw asked.

"Does it look like it has?" Snowfur asked coldly.

"No," Mistypaw replied disappointed. She flattened her ears. "So it wasn't enough... So is everyone going to die?"

"Not if Mosspaw can help it," Snowfur meowed.

Mistypaw turned. "What do you mean?" she asked, staring into Snowfur's hopeful blue eyes.

"StarClan has chosen Mosspaw to take over the role Bluefur would not. I can only hope she sees it and follows it better than her mother did," Snowfur added.

"I believe she will," Mistypaw meowed. "After all, Mosspaw is the one whose life was saved. As the one who gave up her life so Mosspaw could live, I should have a say in this."

"Now you see it," Snowfur purred in approval. "So will you accept my offer?"

Mistypaw blinked, thinking back to before the vision Snowfur had shown her.

"_Welcome to StarClan, Mistypaw," a young tortoiseshell she-cat, only a little older than Mistypaw herself, meowed. "I'm Sweetpaw."_

"_Hello, Sweetpaw. I've heard about you before. You're Rosetail's sister, aren't you?" Mosspaw asked._

"_That's me," Sweetpaw replied. She turned and nodded to Snowfur. "Hello, Snowfur."_

"_Hello, Sweetpaw," Snowfur replied._

_Sweetpaw turned around to leave, but Snowfur stopped her._

"_Sweetpaw, wait. I want you to be here for this. I want you to witness this," Snowfur meowed._

"_Witness what?" Sweetpaw asked, turning back around._

"_Yeah, witness what?" Mistypaw exclaimed._

"_Mistypaw, there are certain individuals in StarClan who have the ability to reach out to others and help them in their dreams or by giving them signs in the daytime. I am one of them. I used to visit Bluefur."_

"_Bluefur? What does she have to do with all of this?" Mistypaw asked._

"_Sweetpaw is one of them. She visits Featherwhisker sometimes. She also visits Spottedpaw now."_

"_That's cool for you, but why are you telling me this?" Mistypaw asked._

"_Mistypaw... I want you to join us," Snowfur meowed. "I want you to become one of us. Help us convince your kin to take their parts in the future."_

"_But I'm no one. I'm just an apprentice..." Mistypaw stammered._

"_I'm an apprentice," Sweetpaw reminded her._

"_But..."_

"_Those of us who have access to giving signs and entering dreams... we are watchers of the StarTower."_

"_StarTower?" Mistypaw asked._

"_The StarTower exists to block the boundaries between StarClan and the Clans below us. The pool in which we can see the reflections of those below us is only a part of that power. The pool is almost an entire territory away from the StarTower. We never enter the StarTower and we never get close to the StarTower. We use this pool to interact with the land below us; the pool uses the power of the StarTower. No cat has the power to enter the StarTower. Living medicine cats and leaders receiving signs are lucky enough to make it here. If a curious StarClan cat tries getting close to the StarTower then they will immediately cease to exist. They will fade away into nothing."_

"_That's terrible!" Mistypaw exclaimed._

"_Which is why we, the watchers of the StarTower, keep curious cats from getting anywhere close to the StarTower. Normal StarClan cats are not supposed to be allowed this far where the reflective pool of water is, but if they do come this far then we turn them around. We make sure no one gets hurt up here and we try to help the living cats down below. Mistypaw, will you join us?"_

"_But I'm no one..." Mistypaw repeated. "Isn't this a little much for a young apprentice like me?"_

"_Mistypaw, if words are not enough, then maybe actions are..." Snowfur meowed._

"_What does that mean?" Mistypaw asked. She blinked and found herself standing alongside her siblings in the snow._

Mistypaw blinked again.

"Someone needs to convince Mosspaw to take Bluefur's place. Although indirectly, I believe that cat will be me," Mistypaw meowed. "Yes, Snowfur. I will take your offer."

* * *

**Icy: Isn't it sad just how much death has changed Mistypaw?**

**Wingpaw: But now Mistypaw has an important role to play. It's her newly found duty to put Mosspaw on the right path. Isn't this good?**

**Icy: Yes, but... Seeing how playful and energetic she used to be... and then seeing how sad and serious she has become... It's a good thing that she's serious, but her sorrow isn't a good thing. Sadly, I must say, it is going to continue.**

**Flarepaw: Well, you know, it is your story, Icy... Of course it's going to be sad.**

**Icy: That's true... Sometimes I wonder, though, why can't I ever write a happy story?**

**Wingpaw: Last chapter was happy.**

**Flarepaw: This chapter didn't even take a moment to wait before destroying that happiness.**

**Icy: So I wrote the flashback into the story in a different style of writing than I usually do. I usually have some sort of break. Did it seem weird?**

**Wingpaw: I don't know...**

**Flarepaw: Don't ask me...**

**Icy: Good point... I know the concept of the StarTower may seem weird, so let me clear it up a little bit. It is not like a Twoleg tower. It's basically just a really tall cliff, so tall that it seems like a Twoleg tower. The rest of it was already explained in Mistypaw's flashback conversation with Snowfur and Sweetpaw. Also, I know I never showed Mistypaw discovering Thistleclaw's evil, but she's already been in StarClan for a few days. There's a lot of cats in StarClan, so it makes sense that she's just now getting the chance to meet Sweetpaw.**

**Mistypaw: Hey, so does this mean I still get to have my POV in the story very often?**

**Icy: No.**

**Mistypaw: What?!**

**Icy: I originally did _not_ plan to have that scene from BP in there, but I decided what I had in the outline was boring, so I changed it. Sorry, Mistypaw, but most of your action is going to be behind the scenes. I might put in some references to you, but it's unlikely. We won't see Mistypaw's POV again until... Chapter 41.**

**Mistypaw: But that's such a long time from now!**

**Wingpaw: Yeah, especially with your updating habbits, Icy.**

**Flarepaw: True to that.**

**Icy: I must agree as well. I cannot apologize enough. I'll try to update again soon, but I make no promises.**

**~Icy and the crew**


	31. Chapter 29: First Kill

**Icy: Alright, this is a decent amount of time between updates. Four days... I mean, it could be better, but considering my recent records this is pretty good...**

**Wingpaw: This is sad.**

**Flarepaw: But all considered, it's pretty good. (nods)**

**Mistypaw: So when do I get to appear again?**

**Icy: Depends. I know I originally said you weren't going to be around much after your death, but I keep changing my mind. I keep adding in a little bit more and more. I think you're actually going to become a lot more important than I originally realized. How do you feel about... (whispers into Mistypaw's ear)**

**Mistypaw: That sounds awesome!**

**Icy: Huh. I think it might just happen then.**

**Wingpaw: What's happening exactly?**

**Icy: Well, right now we get to see Stonepaw's POV. Last time we saw his POV he saw Thistleclaw kill Princess and he thought it was pretty cool.**

**Flarepaw: How does Stonepaw turn evil like that?**

**Icy: Just think about it. He was abandoned by his mentor for a short while, and who helped him out during that time? Thistleclaw.**

**Flarepaw: Oh.**

**Wingpaw: Good point. You were right when you said that chapter started the plot moving along...**

**Mistypaw: Talk about foreshadowing.**

**Icy: Hey, this AN's getting kind of long. Let's go ahead and get to the chapter before it gets much longer.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

**First Kill**

* * *

"Water vole," Thistleclaw whispered.

"I've got it," Stonepaw replied softly. He lowered himself, getting ready to jump, when a loud rustling sound, followed by a loud thump, caused the vole to run away before he could even dream of chasing it. Doing the best he could to hold his anger down, he lifted himself back up. He turned around to glare at the cat who caused him to lose his prey.

Brindleface.

"Ow! Can someone please help me up?" Brindleface begged. She was laying on her back. She was trying to get up but kept falling back down. She clearly had not adapted to getting up on her own with just three paws yet. Stonepaw was unimpressed in addition to being displeased.

Stonepaw just stood there. "You want to be a warrior instead of a queen? Figure it out on your own," he meowed coldly.

"I haven't had any practice on my own yet!" Brindleface snapped at him, turning her head to return his glare with her own glare. "I would if I could leave the camp."

"Which you've done. Now take the next step," Stonepaw instructed.

"Now, now, Stonepaw, let's not be completely unreasonable," Thistleclaw meowed, padding over to help the gray tabby queen stand up. "We are the ones who suggested she be kept in the nursery. Let's not be hypocritical about this. She's our Clanmate. We should help her in any way we can."

_Let's not be hypocritical? Well you're one to talk..._ Stonepaw forced himself to keep the retort down.

"Of course," he replied, dipping his head. "Sorry, Brindleface."

"It's alright, Stonepaw," Brindleface meowed when she was finally standing up. "I expected nothing more from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stonepaw snapped, losing all of his patience. He immediately gave up on holding in all of his anger.

"You're the most ungrateful apprentice I've seen in my entire lifetime!" Brindleface snapped. "I don't care how young you are! You need to learn how to respect the cats older than you!"

"_I'm_ ungrateful? You're ungrateful! Thanks to Thistleclaw and me, you get to spend the rest of your life in the nursery, sleeping your life away! But no, that isn't enough. You want to come hop around the forest and scare all of your prey away. You couldn't even get your own kits. You have to care for kits borne by someone else!" Stonepaw snapped back. He blinked and gave Thistleclaw an awkward glance, suddenly remembering that the kits were actually his, but Thistleclaw simply looked entertained by the whole argument. He wasn't stepping in to resolve this any time soon.

"You're just too young to understand..." Brindleface meowed, sighing.

"No I'm not!" Stonepaw hissed. "Thistleclaw and I were kind enough to bring you out here because you hated the decision that we made so much. We're giving you a second chance. But it was originally my idea to give you the second chance. I talked it over with Thistleclaw and he agreed to bringing you out here. But how do you thank us? By complaining every ten steps and asking us to slow down for you. By begging us to stop and let you catch your breath. By calling me ungrateful when you're the ungrateful one out here!"

"I don't think it really was _your_ idea..." Brindleface retorted, narrowing her eyes. She briefly looked at Thistleclaw.

Thistleclaw blinked. "It really was," he meowed quickly.

Brindleface looked back at Stonepaw. "Maybe you're not too young to understand."

"So will you explain it to me then?" Stonepaw asked.

Brindleface closed her eyes. "Stonepaw, there is nothing to explain to a cat like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stonepaw growled.

Brindleface opened her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry, Stonepaw, but I really don't like you. As a matter of fact, I hate you."

"Don't worry about it; the feeling's mutual. I really don't like you either. I actually hate you, too," Stonepaw added.

"It hasn't always been this way, but ever since your sister's death, well... let's just say that your grief turned you into a completely different cat," Brindleface meowed.

"I could say the same about you," Stonepaw meowed, "although I can't consider losing a paw and losing a sister nearly the same..."

"The fact is I've handled my grief much better than you've handled yours," Brindleface retorted.

"Oh, really now?" Stonepaw asked. He took a couple of steps back so he could stand next to Thistleclaw.

"Absolutely," Brindleface replied. "I've done what I can with the kits in the nursery while you've become best friends with our Clan murderer."

"You think I'm a murderer?" Thistleclaw exclaimed.

"Thistleclaw, let's not play games. Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You took it upon yourself to make Stonepaw your apprentice when Stormtail abandoned him a while back. Sunstar may have named Mosspaw as your apprentice, but Stonepaw is your real apprentice. You're teaching him how to be the next killer in the Clan!" Brindleface spat.

Thistleclaw purred in amusement. "You were right, Stonepaw; she's a noisy one. It was a good idea to bring her all the way out to the bit of forest between Tallpines and Sunningrocks."

Brindleface widened her eyes. "Oh no..." she meowed. "Oh no... no..."

"Today's my first practice in killing a cat!" Stonepaw meowed excitedly. "I'm looking forward to it. Especially since it's someone I hate so much," he added with a purr.

Brindleface gasped. She glanced behind her. She would have taken a step back if it weren't for her struggle for balance between her three paws.

"But no hard feelings, right? After all, we both agreed that we hate each other," Stonepaw added. "So no hard feelings, right?"

"There's a difference between not getting along with someone and killing them," Brindleface growled.

"Is there? I don't understand. I'm too young to understand," Stonepaw added mockingly. "Maybe you should explain it to me. It can be the last sound anyone ever hears from your throat."

Brindleface tried to turn around and run. The tiniest of tree roots tripped her and caused her to fall over. She tried to get up on her own and failed. Stonepaw twitched his whiskers in an attempt to keep himself from bursting out laughing. He slowly padded over to her, taking in every memorable moment. He stopped when he stood in front of Brindleface's face, giving her a perfect view of him. He leaned down so his eyes were even with hers.

"Actually, scratch that," he meowed. "I think I'd rather the last thing I ever hear from you be your cries for help."

"Don't you wish," Brindleface spat at him. "I'll never give you the pleasure."

Stonepaw quickly shook his head back and forth to get rid of Brindleface's disgusting spit.

"You're going to fight until the very end. That's memorable enough for me," Stonepaw meowed, shrugging.

Stonepaw didn't hesitate in taking the first move. Quickly unsheathing his claws, Stonepaw took his right front paw and sliced his claws down Brindleface's belly. Brindleface hissed in pain. Stonepaw pulled his paw back and pushed his head forward so he could bite into Brindleface's neck. Brindleface attempted to get up and push him away, but it was brief and failed. Stonepaw took a large bite into Brindleface's neck. He sunk his teeth in down as far as he could. Once he tasted a large gulp of blood he withdrew his teeth. He pulled his head back. He spat out the blood in front of him, leaving blood drops all over Brindleface's flank. Brindleface struggled to breath. She made a gurgling sound as she tried to get some air. Stonepaw triumphantly watched her as her head dropped and she breathed her last breath. Stonepaw lifted his paw and shook it to get rid of the blood on his paw. He dug his claws into the ground to get rid of the bits stuck under them.

"Well done," Thistleclaw meowed, walking up to him.

Stonepaw purred. "It was nice," he admitted. "Now to just get something to cover this up..."

Thistleclaw opened his jaws to speak, but he closed them as the bushes behind them rustled. Stonepaw turned around to see who it was and barely kept himself from gasping.

It was Mosspaw.

_Oh no..._

* * *

**Icy: Yet again, I leave us with a cliffhanger. I seem to have a lot of those in this story, which is funny because when I started this story two and a half years ago I struggled to come up with a cliffhanger. Now there's one just about every other chapter. Oh, how times have changed...**

**Wingpaw: Don't forget, you've gotten a lot better at writing since then.**

**Flarepaw: Our story just shows that.**

**Mistypaw: It really does. I've read it now and I can only understand about half of it. There's so many random characters and plot points everywhere...**

**Icy: Their story was of extreme poor quality. Plot ideas were barely strung together. Now I neatly take time to make sure everything adds up and make sure it's something intelligent and interesting that is being added up. The difference in writing style between the first thirteen or so chapters and the second half of this story so far really show how far I've come as a writer. I'm gonna be honest; it kind of makes me proud...**

**Wingpaw: Now if you could just update more often.**

**Flarepaw: We would all appreciate it.**

**Mistypaw: Wouldn't we?**

**Icy: I'm sure you would. Hey, this update is only four days after the last update! That's pretty good for me! Alright, this AN is getting long enough. I've spent enough time on fanfic for one day. Now I want to get back to playing my Pokemon game. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next update!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	32. Chapter 30: Gone

**Icy: Chapter 30! Hurray! We've hit another mark! Instead of being half of the way through, we are now three-fifths of the way through this story! This is exciting for me because this is the farthest I've ever made it through one story.**

**Wingpaw: Hurray. It took you two weeks to get from chapter 29 to chapter 30, though...**

**Icy: When you're a high school musician, your time tends to be limited...**

**Flarepaw: Hey, we go through this every chapter. How about we talk about the story instead?**

**Icy: What a nice idea, Flarepaw! Thank you! Yes, let's do talk about the story.**

**Wingpaw: What in the story are we talking about?**

**Icy: We haven't seen Mosspaw's POV since she found the truth in Mistypaw's death and convinced Goosefeather to become an elder, but now we get to see her react to seeing Stonepaw kill someone. Quite a huge turn, is it not?**

**Flarepaw: Icy, you're killing us with the anticipation. Can we just get to the chapter already?**

**Icy: Fine, fine... Yes, yes, here we go.**

**Mistypaw: Wait! I didn't get to say anything yet!**

**Flarepaw: And now you have.**

**Wingpaw: Congratulations.**

**Icy: And here we are. On with chapter 30!**

**Mistypaw: Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty**

**Gone**

* * *

The gray tabby body lay still, covered in splotches of blood. The drops of blood on the grass glimmered in the sunlight. Her gaze lifted two whisker-lengths. A gray tom's claws glistened with the little blood that was left after digging them into the ground. She lifted her gaze a little more. The gray tom's amber eyes locked in on her own green eyes. She received a look of shock, as if he hadn't expected her to be there. Of course he hadn't expected her to be there. He wouldn't have done it if he had known she would have witnessed the end of it.

He wouldn't have _killed_ Brindleface.

_Stonepaw_ wouldn't have killed Brindleface.

But he did.

The gray-and-white she-cat gulped.

_Stonepaw's a murderer._

She quickly glanced at her gray mentor, receiving nothing but a blank stare, so she looked back at the younger gray tom.

_My brother is a murderer._

She opened her jaws in an attempt to say something, but she just closed them again moments later. Her voice could not form words yet. The shock in her brother's stare was reflected by her own.

_Brindleface is dead._

Now that she had processed the fact that her brother had killed someone, the next slow step in her mind was processing who he had killed. Now her mind had done that too. She looked back at her mentor.

_Another of my Clanmates is dead thanks to you. Another of my Clanmates is dead and my brother is the murderer._

Her suspicions were proved true. They were no longer suspicion.

They were fact.

Mosspaw braced herself.

It was finally time for someone to break the silence.

"Why?" One word was enough. One word was all Mosspaw needed to say to break the silence. She was curious to decide who would answer her first; would it be her mentor, the experienced murderer? Or her brother, the novice?

"Brindleface asked us to," Thistleclaw replied calmly.

Mosspaw stared at her mentor in disbelief. "What kind of mousedung of that?"

"The truth," Stonepaw replied. Mosspaw turned to look at her brother as he continued. "Brindleface was in a lot of pain, Mosspaw. Losing a paw can be really stressful. For Brindleface, it was just too much."

"She asked us to take her life. She asked us to end her pain. I know what this looks like. You think we killed her, but we didn't. We didn't kill her, we saved her; we ended her misery," Thistleclaw added.

"Next you're going to tell me I can fly," Mosspaw retorted. "Do you honestly expect me to believe this foxdung?" Mosspaw added, turning to face her mentor.

"Whether you believe it or not, you need to accept it; whether you like it or not, it is the truth," Thistleclaw meowed.

"I don't believe it," Mosspaw meowed, "and I absolutely won't accept it."

"I don't think the rest of the Clan will, either," Stonepaw meowed to Thistleclaw.

Thistleclaw glared at Stonepaw. "What are you suggesting, Stonepaw?" Thistleclaw asked him. Mosspaw turned to her brother as he responded.

"Maybe we should tell the Clan something else. The Clan doesn't need to know that Brindleface wanted us to kill her because she couldn't do it herself. Brindleface was an honorable cat; she was too young to die. Even if there were disagreements, she should be remembered for the good that she did; she lost her paw while fighting a fox in order to save the Clan. Wouldn't it be ironic if another fox were to end her life? Perhaps it is better if we told the Clan that it was a fox which ended her life," Stonepaw concluded.

"So we lie?" Mosspaw asked her brother coldly.

"Bluntly, yes," Stonepaw replied.

"That's a great plan, Stonepaw!" Thistleclaw praised him.

"Thank you," Stonepaw meowed, lifting his chin.

Mosspaw stared at her brother in disgust. "I won't do it."

"Won't do what?" Thistleclaw asked her.

"I won't lie to the whole Clan about Brindleface's death! I won't be a part of your story! I refuse to be a part of it!" Mosspaw spat.

"Then I hope you can keep your jaws shut," Thistleclaw meowed sternly.

"Why is that?" Mosspaw asked angrily.

"If you're not going to help us then you're going to be better off not saying anything," Thistleclaw meowed.

Mosspaw remained silent, keeping her firm glare on Thistleclaw.

"You're going to regret it if you say that we killed her," Thistleclaw continued. "You'll make it seem like murder, even though it wasn't. Brindleface isn't here anymore to defend what we're telling you, and you don't believe it, so there's no way the rest of the Clan would believe it."

"Mosspaw, just let her rest. If you have any sense, then you'll let this go," Stonepaw put in. "You don't want to be a part of our story? You don't have to be. You can walk away right now and forget this ever happened."

Mosspaw turned to glare at her brother. "Who are you?" she asked.

Stonepaw took a step back. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know who are you anymore, Stonepaw. I..." Mosspaw caught herself. She didn't want to say anything more. "Just... Fine. I'll walk away now. I won't say anything this time, but if there is a next time... If there is a next time, then don't expect me to walk away this easily," she added, looking back and forth between her brother and her mentor. Without another word, she turned around and ran away from the scene.

* * *

Mosspaw dug her claws into the ground. Not knowing where else to go, she had decided to come visit Princess. Last time she had nowhere to go, visiting Princess seemed to help, so she decided to do it again. She looked up at the fence. It seemed shorter than last time she had been here. It had been half a moon since she had been here last. Last time she had been here was to try and get some information on Thistleclaw, but also to help Mistypaw.

Mistypaw.

Thinking about her sister made her sick. What would her sister say if she could see Stonepaw now?

Mosspaw shook her head. She briefly hoped to StarClan that Mistypaw didn't have to see what was happening. She immediately buried her hope. Perhaps it would be better if Mistypaw could see it. Maybe she could intervene. Could she visit Stonepaw in a dream? Would she? Or was it too late? Was it even possible?

Mosspaw closed her eyes and leaned her head up against the fence. She had come here to try and clear her head, but instead it just kept fogging up with more and more stray thoughts throwing themselves together.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Mosspaw opened her eyes and lifted her head. A light gray she-cat was looking at her through a suspicious green gaze.

"Have you seen a light brown tabby around here?" Mosspaw asked, sighing at the end.

"I'm Ruby, thanks for asking," the gray she-cat retorted. "What kind of light brown tabby? Got a name?"

"I'm Mosspaw," Mosspaw meowed, "and I'm looking for Princess."

The light gray she-cat suddenly made a whining noise. She crouched down and began digging her claws through the grass. "Why? Why did you have to look for _her_? Why couldn't you just leave it alone?"

"What do you mean?" Mosspaw asked. "I came her about half a moon ago and talked to her. She helped me a lot then. I was hoping she could help me again now. She's supposed to live in the yard behind this fence. She still lives there, doesn't she?"

"No," Ruby replied coldly.

"Then where does she live now?" Mosspaw asked. _What is wrong with this she-cat? Doesn't she make any sense?_

"Princess is my half-sister," Ruby meowed.

"Then you know her! Good. Can you tell me where I can find her? Can you tell me where she lives now?" Mosspaw asked.

"She doesn't live anywhere anymore," Ruby meowed sadly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mosspaw asked.

"It means that she's gone, Moss-whatever-your-name-is!" Ruby spat.

"Mosspaw. What do you mean she's gone? Gone where?" Mosspaw added.

"She's gone! I came to visit her and...and..."

"And what?" Mosspaw snapped. "Speak!"

Ruby closed her eyes. "Her belly was ripped to shreds."

Mosspaw froze. "Princess... is dead?"

Ruby nodded. "Her housefolk took her body and buried it somewhere. I haven't been able to find her grave. Otherwise I would have visited it every day since."

"Do you know who killed her?" Mosspaw asked. "I'm sorry to ask you this, but..."

"I saw two shapes. One of them was a small gray cat, but all he did was watch. The other one, the larger one... that was the one who killed her. They left as soon as it was done. I wanted to stop them, but... I didn't think I'd be able to keep my life if I did. Princess wouldn't have wanted both of us dead..." Ruby added.

"Understandable. What did the bigger cat look like?" Mosspaw asked. She already knew the answer, but she still wanted to hear it.

"It was a big gray tom with a white muzzle. His legs were a darker gray than his pelt was," Ruby meowed.

"I know who did this," Mosspaw growled.

"Who?" Ruby exclaimed. "You know the big tom?"

"I know both of the toms you saw," Mosspaw replied. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry for your loss, Ruby. Princess was a kind cat, perhaps the kindest I've ever known."

"She was nice to every cat who ever came by. Ever since her death, cats have stopped going out of the Twolegplace. Most of them are staying in their houses now. I don't live with housefolk anymore, but I'm definitely considering moving back in. It's not safe out here anymore. The forest isn't safe," Ruby added.

"Tell me about it," Mosspaw meowed. "I'm the one that lives in it. Those two cats you mentioned? I live with them."

"What?" Ruby exclaimed.

"I'm the one that sees them and has to keep quiet about it."

"Why keep quiet about it?" Ruby asked.

"So that they won't kill even more cats," Mosspaw replied. "A time will come when I can act, but I'm afraid that time is not yet. For now, I must wait."

"Why?" Ruby asked.

"I'm one of those Clan cats that you've heard stories about," Mosspaw replied. "I live in ThunderClan."

"Do they live in ThunderClan as well?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," Mosspaw replied. "One of them is my mentor."

"What about the other one?" Ruby asked.

Mosspaw sighed. "Brother."

"I..."

"I have to go now. Keep yourself safe, Ruby. Stay indoors if you can. Whatever you do, if you come outside, don't come to this forest. Stay away from our territory," Mosspaw added. "They'll kill you if they see you."

Without waiting for a response, Mosspaw turned tail and ran away from the light gray she-cat. Only two things were on her mind as she ran back to camp.

_I have to get Stonepaw to stop following Thistleclaw!_

Mosspaw shook her head.

_Princess, I will avenge your death, I promise._

* * *

**Icy: And we're going to end this here.**

**Wingpaw: Wow, things sure are getting intense.**

**Flarepaw: Aww... Mosspaw didn't get mad.**

**Wingpaw: She got mad!**

**Flarepaw: She didn't do anything about it, though...**

**Icy: I'm going to be honest. The story gets a bit drawn out from here with Mosspaw's POV, but Stonepaw's will keep things moving throughout the next few chapters.**

**Flarepaw: Mistypaw, you have to do something!**

**Mistypaw: I can only do what Icy lets me do. Icy, can I please do something?**

**Wingpaw: Icy, please!**

**Icy: Hmm... We'll see...**

**Flarepaw: You've already made up your mind, haven't you?**

**Icy: Yeah. You'll just find out later. You'll find out soon, though. You'll find out in, uh... six chapters. Actually, you'll find out in five chapters. You'll be satisfied in six chapters.**

**Wingpaw: What does that mean?**

**Flarepaw: Satisfied?**

**Icy: That's when our next mini-climax is! Chapter 27 was the climax of the mini-arc with Mistypaw's death. Chapter 36 is the next mini-arc climax! Look forward to it!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	33. Chapter 31: Shaking Doubts Away

**Wingpaw: What is this? Another update so soon?**

**Icy: I know! Loot at me! This is pretty impressive!**

**Flarepaw: I'm definitely surprised.**

**Mistypaw: I'm excited about this chapter! Do I get to appear in it? I know it's Stonepaw's POV... Can I knock some sense into him?**

**Icy: Not today, I'm afraid. Not much happens in this chapter. Just a bit of kind dialogue between Stormtail and Thistleclaw...**

**Wingpaw: Kind?**

**Flarepaw: You're using this thing called "sarcasm," right?**

**Mistypaw: Of course she is... aren't you?**

**Icy: Of course I am! Wow, you guys don't trust me very much, do you?**

**Wingpaw: There's no telling with you, Icy.**

**Icy: Hmm... Good point. Alright, well, let's move along with the chapter before this AN gets out of hand.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty One**

**Shaking Doubts Away**

* * *

"Wake up, Stonepaw," he heard Thistleclaw meow through the den entrance.

"Good morning, Thistleclaw..." Stonepaw muttered. He blinked his eyes a few times to try and wake up faster. Redpaw's coughing had woken him up. Stonepaw hoped it was just an itch in the younger apprentice's throat. Whitecough wasn't good for anyone, but it especially wasn't good for kits and younger apprentices.

It was difficult for Stonepaw to realize he and Mosspaw were the oldest apprentices in the Clan. They had been training for four moons now. It had been like that for their entire apprenticeship because Bluefur and White-Eye, the mother of Runningpaw and Mousepaw, had been the only queens at the time Stonepaw and his sisters had been born, but it was finally starting to settle in. Now that Redpaw, Willowpaw, and Spottedpaw had been apprentices for almost a moon and a half, Stonepaw was starting to feel like the older apprentice. He had been good friends with Runningpaw and Mousepaw when they were kits, so it hadn't felt very different when they were together in the apprentices' den, but the addition of Swiftbreeze's three kits made the apprentices' den start to feel cramped. Stonepaw was thankful that Nightkit, Featherkit, and Lavenderkit wouldn't be apprenticed for another four and a half moons.

Stonepaw grudgingly got to his paws. He looked around the den. Willowpaw and Mosspaw were asleep, but everyone else was already out and training or patrolling. Willowpaw slept softly, but Mosspaw kept turning back and forth in her nest.

_She didn't buy into our story with Brindleface very well..._ Stonepaw couldn't help but think. _All considered, I guess we should just be thankful that she's kept her word about being quiet. She hasn't told anyone what happened. At least, not that Thistleclaw and I know of..._

Stonepaw shook his head to clear it.

_I need to stop thinking about my sister and start thinking about myself. Even more than that, I need to start focusing on the future. Just how much longer do I plan on working with Thistleclaw before I break off from him?_

Even though Stonepaw didn't agree with Thistleclaw on everything, he had to admit that Thistleclaw was a much better mentor than Stormtail was. Stonepaw honestly couldn't even remember the last time he and Stormtail went out training together. Thistleclaw usually assigned Stormtail to patrol and then took Stonepaw training. Mosspaw usually just tagged along with a patrol or tagged along with another group of training apprentices. Stonepaw wondered how Mosspaw wasn't falling behind.

Stonepaw shook his head again.

_Stop thinking about Mosspaw!_

* * *

"What are we doing today?" Stonepaw asked Thistleclaw curiously.

"I was hoping we could go hunting, actually." Stonepaw and Thistleclaw turned to see Stormtail padding up to them.

"Good morning, Stormtail," Stonepaw meowed politely.

"Thistleclaw, can I train my own apprentice today?" Stormtail asked.

"No," Thistleclaw replied coldly.

Stormtail's eyes widened. "Why not?" he exclaimed. He obviously hadn't expected Thistleclaw to say no so bluntly. Stonepaw was shocked as well. He was extremely thankful, but he had to admit that he was a bit surprised as well.

"I've been ordered by Sunstar to go on a special mission and I want to thank Stonepaw with me. You should be honored that your apprentice is doing so well he's been chosen for such a special mission," Thistleclaw added.

Stonepaw twitched his whiskers. This was pretty amusing for him.

"That's foxdung!" Stormtail exclaimed. "Now how about you give me my apprentice back? Maybe you can even train yours for a change!"

This time it was Stonepaw's turn to gasp. He couldn't believe his mentor had just said such a thing. He knew Stormtail could be mean, but he'd never seen him be this mean before.

Scratch that.

Stonepaw could in face think of a time when Stormtail had lost his temper. Stonepaw remembered when Stormtail abandoned him for a quarter-moon, leaving him to train with whomever he could find that would train him for each day. Back then Stormtail wanted nothing to do with him. Now that the basics were over and Thistleclaw was teaching him the more complex moves, of course Stormtail wanted to come back. In Stonepaw's eyes it seemed as if Stormtail only cared about teaching his apprentice the things he found more interesting. Stonepaw could only think of Stormtail as a terrible mentor.

Such actions deserved punishment.

"I can't train my own apprentice because she is still recovering from the battle with the fox," Thistleclaw replied to Stormtail calmly, almost completely ignoring Stormtail's harsh tone. "Mosspaw was there to watch the fox kill Brindleface, remember? It takes time to get over that."

"It's been a half moon already! She needs to get over it! The best thing she can do now is get back to training," Stormtail meowed.

"I think Mosspaw is going to help Spottedpaw search for herbs today while Featherwhisker tries to treat Redpaw's cough before it gets worse," Thistleclaw continued calmly.

"There are already two medicine cats! We don't need anymore!" Stormtail spat.

"Are you saying that it's not important to try and find herbs to cure Redpaw's cough before it turns into greencough? Do you want the Clan to have an outbreak of greencough?" Stonepaw exclaimed to Stormtail, going along with Thistleclaw's story with ease.

"I—I..." Stormtail was lost for words.

Thistleclaw closed his eyes and sighed. "You know what, Stormtail? You're right. You should have the chance to train your apprentice today. You can take him hunting, but I want to go with you. It shouldn't be a problem as long as you get to train him, right?" Thistleclaw added.

Stormtail snorted. "Fine, whatever. Just meet me in the training hollow when you're ready. I want to practice some battle moves before we go hunting."

"I couldn't have decided any better," Thistleclaw meowed, purring at the end.

Stormtail nodded before padding out of camp.

After making sure he was gone, Thistleclaw whispered to Stonepaw, "Are you ready for your second task? It's your second kill. Be ready when I give the order."

Stonepaw nodded without saying a word.

"You can meet us at the training hollow after you feed the queens and elders," Thistleclaw continued.

Stonepaw twitched his ear. "Sure."

Thistleclaw sighed. "I know you've been avoiding the nursery ever since what happened with Brindleface, but you have to get over it eventually, Stonepaw. Are you going to avoid the warriors' den for a while after your second task?"

"Of course not!" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"Then get over whatever is troubling you about the nursery," Thistleclaw growled.

"What happened with Brindleface is not why I'm avoiding the nursery," Stonepaw growled back.

Thistleclaw lifted his head. "Good. Just take a couple of minutes to feed the queens and elders and then come join us in the training hollow, alright? We don't want to leave Stormtail waiting for too long."

"Of course not," Stonepaw agreed in reply. Thistleclaw nodded to him before leaving.

Stonepaw sighed as he turned around. _I really don't want to go to the nursery..._

Stonepaw padded over to the fresh-kill pile. _What was Stonepelt's favorite prey again...? Oh, it doesn't matter... Ooh, what is the worst prey I can get for Goosefeather?_

Stonepaw grabbed a couple of mice and a sparrow off of the fresh-kill pile and headed for the elders' den. He didn't mind fetching prey for the elders and queens in general, but there were specific cats that he hated visiting. Goosefeather usually tried to say something smart to him, which he would usually find hard to ignore.

Sighing, Stonepaw padded into the elders' den.

"Hello, Stonepaw! Did you bring some prey for us?" Larksong asked kindly.

Stonepaw sat down the mice and sparrow. "Of course," he replied gruffly. _What else does it look like? Why else would I be in here?_

"Thanks," Poppydawn meowed, getting up to get a mouse.

"Thank you, Stonepaw," Stonepelt meowed.

"We appreciate it when the older apprentices take time to come bring us prey instead of leaving it to the younger apprentices," Windflight meowed.

"It's not a problem," Stonepaw replied, calming down a good bit. He forced himself not to sigh in relief when he realized Goosefeather was asleep. The smell of fresh prey didn't seem to make a difference.

"Well, don't dabble on! Go out and enjoy your youth! Go train!" Poppydawn ordered him.

Stonepaw dipped his head. "Of course. Enjoy your prey," he added before exiting the den. He padded back over to the fresh-kill pile to pick up a couple of voles for the nursery. He slowly padded over to the den, debating on whether to leave the food outside or not. He stood at the entrance, thinking about it, when Frostfur called him in.

"Stonepaw, is that you? Don't just stand there like a mousebrain. Come into the nursery already," Frostfur called out to him.

Stonepaw padded into the den and set the voles down.

"Ooh, vole! Yay! I love voles! Are these all for me? Thanks, Stonepaw!" Featherkit exclaimed excitedly.

"They're not all for you, Featherkit! You selfish foxbrain!" Nightkit exclaimed.

"Hey! Save some for me, too!" Lavenderkit exclaimed.

Stonepaw purred in amusement. "They sure are hyper for only being one moon old," he commented.

"They're a little older than a moon. I think they're closer to a moon and a half, actually," Frostfur replied.

Stonepaw just nodded. Frostfur was a kind young she-cat. She had joined the nursery just a couple days after Brindleface had.

_Just a couple days after Mistypaw's death..._

Stonepaw had been avoiding the nursery because he had been avoiding the white queen. Frostfur knew he had been with Thistleclaw and Mosspaw when Brindleface died. He didn't want Frostfur accusing him of killing her sister.

_Does she honestly believe a fox killed her? If it were my sister then I wouldn't believe it... Although I guess I already proved that when I agreed to work with Mosspaw in proving that Mistypaw didn't eat the deathberries..._

"When are your kits due?" Stonepaw asked, trying to change the subject.

"I've still got another moon to go," Frostfur replied.

"At least that's only one moon left," Stonepaw tried to sound encouraging.

Frostfur purred in amusement. "Don't pretend you understand it, Stonepaw."

Stonepaw flattened his ears. _Oh no, did I say the wrong thing? She's starting to sound like Brindleface!_

"I appreciate your concern and kindness, though," Frostfur continued on.

Stonepaw forced himself not to sigh in relief. _Thank StarClan she isn't mad at me..._

"I think you'll make a great father some day. You'll make a great warrior, too, Stonepaw. I look forward to seeing you grow up. It's too bad Brindleface won't be here to see how wrong she was about you," Frostfur added.

"What do you mean?" Stonepaw meowed hesitantly.

"She said you were going to end up killing someone. She thought you were going to become the kind of cat who would kill anyone for fluffing your fur the wrong way," Frostfur meowed.

Stonepaw remained silent.

"I never agreed with her, though. I think you're going to be the exact opposite. Maybe you'll even be deputy one day. Maybe even leader," Frostfur added.

"That'd be nice," Stonepaw forced the words out. He hoped to StarClan they sounded as even as he hoped them to be.

Frostfur looked over at him in concern. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I... I'm just sorry I couldn't get to the fox in time to save Brindleface's life. I'm so sorry, Frostfur..." Stonepaw trailed off, lowering his head.

_I didn't know anyone besides Thistleclaw could believe in me so much... I didn't know it was possible..._

"It's not your fault, Stonepaw. You did the best you could. No one could ask for any more," Frostfur meowed.

"But I feel like I failed you and I failed the Clan," Stonepaw muttered.

"You didn't fail us! You helped us! Mosspaw is still alive! You're still alive! Thistleclaw is still alive! We're lucky that Brindleface is the only one the fox killed!" Frostfur exclaimed.

Stonepaw remained silent.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I think it was Brindleface's time, anyway. I mean, of course I miss her, but I know how much pain she was in. I chose to have kits. I chose to be a queen. She didn't. She was forced to. I think she'll be much happier in StarClan than she will be here," Frostfur promised.

_That's also my fault... because I'm the one that agreed with Thistleclaw on her becoming a queen..._

"I'm sorry, Frostfur, but I have to go now. Stormtail and Thistleclaw are expecting me in the training hollow soon," Stonepaw meowed suddenly.

Frostfur nodded in understanding. "Of course. Have fun, Stonepaw! Work hard!"

"You're leaving already?" Lavenderkit asked.

"Aww! You just got here!" Nightkit exclaimed.

"Bye, Stonepaw! Have fun!" Featherkit cried out.

Stonepaw tried to purr. "Goodbye, little kits," he meowed. He nodded in farewell to Frostfur before leaving the nursery.

When he got outside of the den he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.

_What's happening to me? Why am I suddenly having doubts about killing Brindleface? I can't have doubts! I have a greater mission to fulfill! ThunderClan is growing weak! I have to save ThunderClan from Sunstar's lack of actions! We can't just keep giving Sunningrocks up to RiverClan! We have to fight back for it! Sunstar will never fight for what is ours! We need someone who will fight for what is ours! That someone is Thistleclaw._

Stonepaw closed his eyes.

_Or is it?_

Stonepaw shook his head to try and clear it.

_Stonepaw, stop doubting what you've believed in for such a long time!_

He froze.

_But what if my doubts are right? What if Thistleclaw isn't the leader we need? After all, I decided to only work with him until I found the time was right to leave him... but when will that be? How far will I go? He only wants to do this all for himself... That isn't someone we need as a leader... but then who will be the leader we need to get back what is ours?_

Stonepaw twitched his tail.

_What is there isn't one? What if Sunstar is the leader we need after all?_

Stonepaw closed his eyes.

_Stonepaw, put your doubts away to someplace where they will never come back! Right now, you need to follow through with Thistleclaw. It's time for Stormtail to die._

Stonepaw opened his eyes and lifted his head.

_I'm not killing Stormtail to help Thistleclaw,_ he reminded himself. _I'm only killing Stormtail to get my revenge for when he abandoned me for that quarter-moon._

Stonepaw forced his conversation with Frostfur to the back of his mind along with the rest of his doubts. He quickly convinced himself that Stormtail needed to get what he deserved. Stonepaw decided to act now and think later.

Shaking his head one last time to try and finish clearing his doubts away, Stonepaw padded toward the camp entrance. He was about to leave when he heard someone call his name.

"Stonepaw, wait! I need to talk to you!"

The cat skidded to a halt next to him. She must have run to catch up to him. Her gray-and-white pelt was quickly rising up and down as she gathered her breath.

It was Mosspaw.

_Great. This is exactly who I need talking to me when I'm trying to push all of my doubts away, _Stonepaw thought sarcastically.

"Stonepaw, we need to talk," his sister meowed.

* * *

**Icy: And... cut! This chapter ends here.**

**Flarepaw: No!**

**Wingpaw: Why? Icy, you have a cliffhanger almost every chapter! This is getting ridiculous!**

**Icy: The genre for this story is currently Angst/Family. Perhaps I should change it to Angst/Suspense?**

**Flarepaw: That would definitely be a good idea.**

**Wingpaw: That would suit this story much better.**

**Mistypaw: But wait! The Family genre was suiting for the earlier chapters when this story was started! Think about it! The first bit of the story revolves around family issues. There was even that whole issue with the four-chapter mini-arc with Bluefur and Thrushpelt's "game," remember?**

**Flarepaw: That's true for the first half, but there were cliffhangers then, too. There's cliffhangers everywhere in this story, which is why we're suggesting it be switched to Suspense.**

**Mistypaw: Good point. Fine, you win this time.**

**Wingpaw: Changing subjects, Icy, you told us nothing much happened in this chapter. You told us it would just be some dialogue between Stormtail and Thistleclaw. You didn't mention the part where Stonepaw starts doubting everything he's been doing! That's pretty important!**

**Icy: Yeah, well... I kind of didn't know I was going to add that until I started the part when Stonepaw fed the elders and queens. I knew he was going to start having some doubts, but I thought it would be all at one time. Instead, I decided to drop some hints. Painfully obvious hints, so it's more like foreshadowing, I guess, but they are hints nonetheless.**

**Wingpaw: Right, then...**

**Flarepaw: Either way, this story is getting really intense!**

**Mistypaw: It's getting intense with all of this suspense!**

**Wingpaw: (stares) Did you really just make a rhyme out of that?**

**Mistypaw: Yes, Wingpaw. Yes, I did.**

**Flarepaw: (sighs)**

**Icy: Okay, I'm going to end this AN before this gets out of hand. I can already see where this conversation could become a page longer just with what Mistypaw said, so I'm going to cut it off before it gets out of hand.**

**Mistypaw: Aww... but I never get to speak anymore!**

**Icy: Mistypaw, you get to show up again in a few chapters, so just wait your turn! Meanwhile, readers, I'm pretty happy with how soon this update came out after the last one. I'm also pretty happy about how long this chapter is compared to most of the chapters in this story. I tried to clear up the issue of time in this chapter. I tried to clear up how much time has passed between some different events. Look forward to the next chapter!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	34. Chapter 32: Letting it All Out

**Wingpaw: Well, well, what do we have here?**

**Icy: An update.**

**Wingpaw: But why so late?**

**Icy: It's only been three weeks... It could have been a lot worse...**

**Wingpaw: But?**

**Icy: It could have been a lot better...**

**Wingpaw: Thank you.**

**Flarepaw: Come on, Wingpaw, stop being so mean.**

**Wingpaw: Okay, okay...**

**Icy: Thank you, Flarepaw.**

**Flarepaw: You're welcome.**

**Icy: So, anyways, to be honest, this chapter is going to be a bit boring. See, some stuff has to happen before other stuff can happen, and this stuff is kind of boring. Don't worry, though, because it'll all be worth it in a couple more chapters.**

**Mistypaw: Hey, when are we going to see the prophecy again?**

**Icy: Ugh.**

**Mistypaw: Ugh?**

**Icy: I don't really like stories that revolve solely around prophecies. Don't get me wrong, I love this story and I _am_ going to finish it, but I won't write another story like it. This is the last story I will ever write that revolves around a prophecy.**

**Wingpaw: (cough) Hypocrite. (cough)**

**Icy: Hey, this AN is getting really long. Let's get the chapter started, shall we?**

**Wingpaw: (glare)**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Two**

**Letting it All Out**

* * *

"Stonepaw, we need to talk," Mosspaw meowed after skidding to a halt next to her brother.

Stonepaw remained silent.

"Stonepaw, please! Listen to me!" Mosspaw begged. "I need to talk to you!"

Stonepaw was still silent.

"Stonepaw, you need to listen! That's all I need you to do! Just listen to me!" Mosspaw cried.

Stonepaw closed his eyes and shook his head. "You may need to talk to me, but I don't need to talk to you," he meowed coldly. He ran away out of the camp entrance before Mosspaw could pester him anymore.

Mosspaw stared at the entrance. _He's gone,_ she thought to herself. _There's nothing I can do for him now. I gave him his chance, but he wouldn't listen._

Mosspaw closed her eyes.

_Stonepaw, whatever happens now... I can't help you. You're on your own, now. It's just you and Thistleclaw. I hope you're happy with tearing our family apart._

Mosspaw opened her eyes and turned around to observe the camp. It had been half a moon since Brindleface's death. No one in the Clan had questioned her death; they all trusted their deputy. They believed in Thistleclaw, never doubting him. They probably hadn't even considered the possibility of Thistleclaw lying to them.

Mosspaw looked over at the warriors' den. Bluefur padded out of it. She was about to greet Thrushpelt at the fresh-kill but hesitated too long. Thrushpelt left before she could make her decision. Thrushpelt padded over to Swiftbreeze, who was organizing a patrol, and asked to join. Bluefur shook her head and padded back into the warriors' den.

Mosspaw twitched her ear. Ever since Mistypaw's death, Bluefur and Thrushpelt had grown farther and farther apart. Mosspaw began to wonder if they were ever even mates in the first place.

_Maybe the game wasn't a game at all,_ Mosspaw couldn't help but think.

Mosspaw gasped as it hit her.

_Maybe Mistypaw thought the same thing._

For a long time, Mosspaw would have thought the thought impossible from her sister, but now Mosspaw wasn't so sure.

_Is that why... is that why she was in the river...?_

Mosspaw shook her head to clear of it.

_It doesn't matter. The past is the past. I need to focus on the present, which is that my brother is a murderer._

Mosspaw sighed.

_What am I supposed to do about that? He won't listen to me! He won't let me help him!_

"Mosspaw."

Mosspaw jerked her head up at the sound of her name. She turned around to greet the cat who had called her.

"Hey, Spottedpaw. Need something?" Mosspaw asked.

"Yeah. I'm going out to restock our shares of juniper berries and tansy. Will you help me carry it back to camp?" Spottedpaw asked.

"Sure. I've got nothing better to do," Mosspaw muttered in reply. _It's not like my mentor care about teaching me or not... or that I want to learn from him..._

* * *

"Mosspaw, you seem distracted. Is everything okay?" Spottedpaw asked.

"Why should it be?" Mosspaw retorted in reply.

"Listen, Mosspaw, I can't begin to understand the pain of losing a sibling, but I can say that you're not recovering from your grief as well as you should," Spottedpaw added.

"Why would you know anything about grief?" Mosspaw asked.

"My dreams have been disturbing," Spottedpaw confessed. "A storm is coming, Mosspaw. It's clear to me now. I tried talking to Featherwhisker about it, but he wouldn't say anything back to me."

"He wouldn't listen," Mosspaw concluded.

"Yeah, that's it. Do you know how frustrating it can be when someone won't listen to you?" Spottedpaw asked.

"Very," Mosspaw replied.

"You sound experienced," Spottedpaw meowed.

"That's because I am..." Mosspaw replied.

"Who won't listen to you?" Spottedpaw asked.

"I really shouldn't talk to anyone about it..." Mosspaw muttered.

"Mosspaw, I'm your medicine cat. Well, medicine cat _apprentice_, but I'm here to help you nonetheless. You can tell me, Mosspaw. I won't tell anyone. Not even Featherwhisker," Spottedpaw added.

"Not even Featherwhisker?" Mosspaw asked.

"Not even Featherwhisker," Spottedpaw promised.

Mosspaw sighed. "You're right, Spottedpaw, a storm is coming. I know who is causing it."

"Who?" Spottedpaw exclaimed. "Mosspaw, you must tell me!"

"Thistleclaw."

One word. Finally. It felt good to let it all out. One word was all it took. Just mentioning one word about it to someone else at all gave Mosspaw a sense of comfort much stronger than she had ever experienced before.

Spottedpaw sighed. "So I was right."

"Right about what?" Mosspaw asked.

"My guess was on Thistleclaw, but I didn't dare say anything aloud," Spottedpaw meowed.

"Why do you think I didn't want to say anything? To you he's just a deputy. He's supposed to be my mentor, too. I have even more reason to not say anything than you do!" Mosspaw added.

"Good point," Spottedpaw muttered.

"Spottedpaw, he's killed so many innocent cats. He killed two kittypets, Rusty and Princess, just because he wanted to! He killed Brindleface! And worst of all, I think..." Mosspaw broke off. She couldn't say it. Not even to Spottedpaw.

"Worst of all? What are you thinking, Mosspaw?" Spottedpaw asked.

Mosspaw fell to her paws. "Will we ever break free from his reign? Spottedpaw, what are we to do? What happens when he gets an apprentice—a real one? One who wants to follow in his crimson pawsteps?"

"Mosspaw, you need to stop worrying," Spottedpaw meowed.

"Stop worrying? How can I ever stop worrying, Spottedpaw? I was there when he killed Brindleface!" Mosspaw left out Stonepaw's involvement. Something kept her from ratting out her brother. She didn't know what, but whatever it was, it was stronger than her. "I couldn't stop him from killing Brindleface... how will I ever stop him? How will _we_ ever stop him? Spottedpaw, why isn't there anyone else out there that can help us?"

"You have to stop worrying," Spottedpaw repeated.

"But Spottedpaw, I..."

"_Kin of the blue flame will form an even stronger flame, which will destroy the claws of blood once and for all._"

* * *

**Icy: Alas, we hear the prophecy once again. This isn't much of a cliffie, but maybe it is...? I don't know...**

**Wingpaw: What do you know?**

**Icy: That the next mini-climax is coming up. I know that time moves strangely in this story, going from a couple of minutes between two chapters to half a moon or more between the next two chapters, but such is the way of life. After the next mini-climax in chapter 36, one day will be taken up by... six chapters I think? Somewhere around that...**

**Flarepaw: Why, may I ask?**

**Icy: Just because, okay?**

**Flarepaw: And the real reason?**

**Icy: Because a lot of stuff happens! I'm not giving anymore away about that.**

**Wingpaw: What about stuff that's happening soon?**

**Icy: You'll just have to wait and find out. Sorry this chapter was so short. I'll make up for it next chapter with Stonepaw's struggle between his hatred and his morale! Will his doubt cause him to fail Thistleclaw and mess up everything? Or will his anger take over and he have no trouble at all killing Stormtail? He hates Stormtail much more than he hated Brindleface, so surely this death will be much easier. But will this one be one he can come back from? Find out next time!**

**Mistypaw: So what's with all the annoying questions?**

**Icy: I don't know, it's just a thing now.**

**Wingpaw: I'm pretty sure the problem is just you.**

**Icy: Probably. Either way, this AN is getting pretty long, so let's end it here. I don't want the AN being longer than the actual chapter...**

**Flarepaw: Yeah, like it was in the earlier teen chapters.**

**Icy: Those were pretty bad. I cannot apologize enough for those. Oh yeah! Quick mention, I should start updating more frequently because school is almost out for the summer. Yay!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	35. Chapter 33: Crimson Pawsteps

**Icy: Alright, it's been almost a month since my last update. Could be a lot better, but could be a lot worse.**

**Wingpaw: Are you kidding? You're in summer break and you can't update?**

**Flarepaw: What happened to the promise of better updates during the summer?**

**Icy: Uh... Netflix happened. That and Animal Crossing New Leaf.**

**Mistypaw: Seriously? That's why you haven't updated?**

**Icy: Yes. I haven't updated because of Netflix and Animal Crossing.**

**Mistypaw: That is just...**

**Flarepaw: No words can describe...**

**Wingpaw: We're talking about Icy here. Do we need words to describe it?**

**Icy: Hey, I'll make it up to you, though. I had a really good idea for a new story for you and Flarepaw, Wingpaw!**

**Wingpaw: Really?**

**Icy: Yep!**

**Wingpaw: Yay! All is forgiven!**

**Icy: You know, it's kind of funny. I spent so much time planning and re-planning what was supposed to happen in this chapter, and then I get writer's block when I finally get to it because I'm still not content with it. But alas, procrastinate can I no longer.**

**Flarepaw: Talk like Yoda can you no longer.**

**Icy: I know, I know... Alright, well, here it is. Chapter Thirty Three. The death of Stormtail. It's no spoiler; we all know it's coming. Question is, are we ready for it? Guess we'll find out soon enough. Here it is. Here we go. Are you ready for some violence? I hope you are because that's what this chapter is all about! The title even says so!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Three**

**Crimson Pawsteps**

* * *

"_You may need to talk to me, but I don't need to talk to you."_

Normally this comment would have disturbed Stonepaw. Stonepaw had always tried to be close with his siblings, but it seemed as if Mistypaw's illness and then death had driven Stonepaw and Mosspaw farther and farther apart. They vowed to come together to figure out what had caused it, but immediately after that it seemed as if they were farther apart than ever before. Now it was evident.

Stonepaw had thought of different ways to come back together. He thought about telling Mosspaw the truth; telling her everything and filling in the blanks for what she didn't know. Mosspaw knew a lot more than he thought she did; she clearly had a very good instinct when it came to searching for clues and finding out the truth. Mosspaw knew that it was Stonepaw who killed Brindleface. That was obvious because Mosspaw had been standing right there, but Mosspaw was smart about other things, too.

Mosspaw was very clever. She knew to keep her jaws shut about what happened with Brindleface. She certainly didn't believe his and Thistleclaw's story, but that didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore.

At least not at the moment.

Stonepaw had been distracted by Brindleface's death. Frostfur had comforted him and led to him doubting everything he believed in, but that was just a distraction, too.

Now he stood face to face with reality as he landed on his paws from jumping over Stormtail, who was trying to teach him a complex battle move that Thistleclaw had already taught him over a moon ago.

"Very good," Stormtail meowed. "Battling really comes to you naturally, doesn't it?"

"It really does," Stonepaw replied, looking at the ground. He could clearly see Thistleclaw in his peripheral vision.

"So let's see... what next? Um... how about..." Stormtail trailed off. The world silenced itself into an eery quiet as Stonepaw saw his cue.

Thistleclaw nodded to him.

_It's playtime._

"How about..."

"This," Stonepaw meowed, interrupting his mentor. Unsheathing his claws, Stonepaw spun around, kicking backwards as he spun to pull Stormtail's paws out from under him. Stormtail buckled over. As he fell to the ground, Stonepaw finished his spin and slammed his front right paw on Stormtail's head, resulting in quite the head injury. Stonepaw's claws had sunk into Stormtail's head even further than Stonepaw had expected. The force he put behind slamming his paw had been even stronger than he had expected. Stonepaw jerked his paw back, pulling his claws out of Stormtail's head fur just in time for Stormtail's face to fall right into a puddle of mud.

Stonepaw didn't step back to give Stormtail room to get up. Stormtail began to lift his head.

"That's not a battle move I know! That's not an honorable move! No warrior would ever be so brutal! Besides, this is a training session. Your claws should be sheathed!" Stormtail added, groaning with effort as he tried to lift the rest of his body. He fell back down.

"Oh, don't you think he knows that?" Thistleclaw retorted. "He's not here to train; he's here to kill you, and so am I. This is going to be extremely easy now that you've got quite the head injury," Thistleclaw added.

"What?" Stormtail exclaimed. "Why would you kill me? Why would my deputy kill me? More importantly, why would my apprentice kill me?"

"You abandoned me!" Stonepaw hissed. "You left the boring stuff to Thrushpelt, Thistleclaw, and my sisters! You didn't step in to mentor me until you saw that I'd gone from the helpless and weak apprentice to the experienced and skilled apprentice all in a quarter moon! You only came back because it was finally time to do interesting things!"

"That's not true!" Stormtail exclaimed.

"Then what did happen? Why did you abandon me? Why would you abandon your own apprentice?" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"I didn't abandon you!" Stormtail quickly got to his paws, but he was obviously dizzy. He had used an adrenaline rush to get up, but now he was struggling to stay up.

"You didn't abandon me? Then why didn't you train me for a quarter moon?" Stonepaw snapped. "Not attending to your apprentice _is_ abandoning your apprentice! You _did_ abandon me!"

"Would you just listen to me?" Stormtail snapped back. Stormtail tried to leap forward at him to pin him down and force him to listen. Stonepaw took an easy side-step to the right and turned to see Stormtail destroy himself. Stonepaw let it entertain him.

Stormtail's head injury had caused him to jump awkwardly. Now that Stonepaw had side-stepped out of the way, Stormtail never got a chance to cleanly land his jump; he slammed his face into a tree trunk instead. As Stormtail fell down onto the ground, blood began to pour from his head. The face smashing with the tree had clearly made his head injury even worse. Blood began falling onto the grass.

Only a brief moment had passed after Stonepaw wondered what to do with the blood when a raindrop tickled his nose. Stonepaw looked up at the sky and purred in amusement at his luck. The rain began falling even harder. Stonepaw looked back down to see Stormtail finally getting up to his paws again, but barely. Stormtail was swaying. He nearly fell over a couple of times; he leaned against the tree to stop that.

"You abandoned me, Stormtail," Stonepaw assured his mentor, padding forward to greet him at the tree trunk. Stormtail looked at him with immeasurable fear in his fevered glossy eyes. Between the head injury to make him dizzy and feverish and the rain to make the pain on his head worse, Stormtail had no hope.

This was the end for him.

"You abandoned me, Stormtail," Stonepaw repeated as he halted right in front of his mentor, "and now you're going to pay the price."

Stonepaw lifted his paw to attack, but he didn't get the chance. A squirrel scurrying for cover from the soon-to-be heavy thunderstorm rattled a thin branch from the tree so harshly that it fell, whacking Stormtail right on his head injury. Stonepaw immediately jumped back, making sure he didn't get to feel the effects of any rebound hits from the branch.

Stormtail fell over onto his side. Blood continued to pour out of his head injury, but now there was an addition of blood coming out from his ears. Stormtail's head lulled for a brief moment before finally laying still. His blue eyes had turned pale and looked at nothing in particular; they only gave off a blank stare.

Stormtail was dead.

Stonepaw turned around and walked toward Thistleclaw, his real battle-move mentor.

"Shall we go alert the Clan of a badger?" Stonepaw asked.

"A badger? Isn't the falling tree branch enough?" Thistleclaw asked.

"We don't want to take any chances," Stonepaw reminded him. "How about you go alert the Clan while I go kill the badger at Snakerocks and bring it back here? It'll cover the place in fresh badger scent. The rain will cover up the time difference," Stonepaw added.

Thistleclaw purred in amusement. "You learn quickly, my true apprentice."

"Thank you for the praise," Stonepaw meowed, dipping his head.

"You need to go now if you're going to go get that badger kit," Thistleclaw meowed.

"Yep," Stonepaw replied. He burst into a run as he immediately turned and headed towards Snakerocks.

_I've gotten my revenge against Stormtail for abandoning me. Now it's time for me to stop taking Thistleclaw's orders and start creating my own. All I need is a good time to do it._

He skidded to a brief halt as he dodged a patrol. As he waited for them to go by, letting the rain cover the fact that he was there, he turned around and purred softly as he watched the rain wash away his crimson pawsteps.

* * *

**Icy: And here we are! That's all for today, folks!**

**Wingpaw: Whoa! Icy, you sure enjoy your cliffhangers, don't you?**

**Icy: I really do, Wingpaw, I really do.**

**Flarepaw: You said the next mini-climax is chapter 36, right? That means things are really going to start building up now, doesn't it?**

**Icy: Absolutely! Next chapter might be a bit boring, but chapter 35 leads right into chapter 36! Next chapter is going to be short, probably even shorter than this short chapter, but chapters 35 and 36 should be pretty long. At least, that's what it looks like according to the outline. Chapter 35 is going to be okay, but there's a crap load of stuff that happens in chapter 36. I think it might be my favorite chapter of this whole story!**

**Mistypaw: Seriously?**

**Icy: Seriously! Oh yeah! Mistypaw, you're going to enjoy chapter 35.**

**Mistypaw: Why?**

**Icy: Cause you're in it!**

**Mistypaw: (gasp) Seriously? That makes me so happy!**

**Icy: Now, now, we have to get through chapter 34 first.**

**Wingpaw: And when will that be? A month from now?**

**Flarepaw: (glare)**

**Icy: I don't know... maybe... but hopefully not! It might be tomorrow! I'm going to try to make it tomorrow!**

**Wingpaw: (looks at Flarepaw) That means at least a week, right?**

**Flarepaw: I think so.**

**Icy: Hey, I'm right here!**

**Mistypaw: They know. They did that on purpose.**

**Icy: I know... Ugh... Okay, so I'm definitely terrible at updating very quickly, but I'm suddenly feeling motivated about updating again, so there might be hope! Either way, whether it's a day, a week, or a month, you can definitely look forward to the next chapters!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	36. Chapter 34: Interpretations and Truth

**Wingpaw: What? What is this?**

**Flarepaw: An update two days in a row?**

**Mistypaw: Preposterous!**

**Icy: It's true! I'm updating two days in a row!**

**Flarepaw: Wow!**

**Wingpaw: (bursts into loud applause)**

**Mistypaw: Hey, can we go ahead and get to the chapter? I really want to find out what happens!**

**Flarepaw: Me too, actually. This isn't even my story and I'm getting really excited about it!**

**Wingpaw: (stops clapping) Same here! Stonepaw sure is changing quite a bit! He keeps changing back and forth between good and evil! When will he make up his mind?**

**Icy: He's still young, remember? He's influential. All he needs is the right person, er, cat, to come along and talk to him.**

**Mistypaw: Is that where I come in?**

**Icy: Hey! How about we focus on Mosspaw right now! Let's not forget she's in this story, too. Before this AN goes on forever, here's the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Four**

**Interpretations and Truth**

* * *

"_Kin of the blue flame will form an even stronger flame, which will destroy the claws of blood once and for all."_

Thunder boomed in the distance. Rain suddenly poured on them.

Mosspaw froze.

"Spottedpaw, w-where did you hear this at?" Mosspaw stammered.

"My dreams," Spottedpaw confessed. "I hear it in my dreams almost every night."

"You do?" Mosspaw asked.

Spottedpaw nodded. "Every night I have the same dream. A terrible storm is coming, but the blue flame puts it out."

"Hang on... you mean a _fire_ puts out a _storm_?" Mosspaw asked confusedly.

"Yeah. Weird, I know, but that's what it is," Spottedpaw meowed. "The blue flame brings the storm to an end."

"What happens after the storm?" Mosspaw asked hopefully.

"I wake up," Spottedpaw meowed sourly.

"Wh—what?" Mosspaw stammered in surprise.

"I don't know what happens after the storm, Mosspaw. My dream ends and I wake up as soon as the storm ends," Spottedpaw meowed.

"But what happens to the fire?" Mosspaw asked.

"Mosspaw, I don't know!" Spottedpaw exclaimed. "Mosspaw, I'm telling you everything I know. I'm not even supposed to tell you that much."

"Then why are you?" Mosspaw asked.

"Because you needed something," Spottedpaw meowed. "You're worrying _way_ too much. You needed something. Reassurance. And now I've given it to you. I think."

"You _think_?" Mosspaw asked.

"A sign from StarClan. Mosspaw, StarClan is watching us. They have a plan. Stop worrying because the storm will end," Spottedpaw added.

"When?" Mosspaw pushed.

"Eventually," Spottedpaw replied honestly. "I don't know when."

Mosspaw sighed. "Spottedpaw, what does this prophecy mean?" she asked.

"I don't know," Spottedpaw confessed.

"What do you mean?" Mosspaw exclaimed.

"I mean that I don't know what the prophecy means. I understand that the storm, also known as the claws of blood, will come to an end, but I don't now how," Spottedpaw meowed.

"The blue flame. The blue flame puts it out," Mosspaw meowed.

"Yes," Spottedpaw replied.

"Well, not the blue flame, but the kin of the blue flame," Mosspaw corrected herself.

"Yes," Spottedpaw meowed. "The kin of the blue flame, which is stronger than the blue flame itself."

"Okay, so a stronger blue flame. This stronger blue flame is what puts out the storm, correct?" Mosspaw asked.

"I think so..." Spottedpaw replied.

"So who is it?" Mosspaw asked.

"What do you mean?" Spottedpaw asked.

"Who is the blue flame? Is the stronger and newer blue flame? Who puts out the storm?" Mosspaw flooded Spottedpaw with questions.

"I don't know," Spottedpaw replied plainly.

Words could not describe Mosspaw's disappointment.

"Do you have any ideas?" Mosspaw asked.

"Nope," Spottedpaw replied.

Mosspaw suddenly gasped.

"What?" Spottedpaw asked. "What is it?"

"I think Goosefeather has an idea," Mosspaw meowed.

"Why do you say that?" Spottedpaw meowed.

"Because I've heard that prophecy before," Mosspaw replied.

"When?" Spottedpaw exclaimed in surprise.

"Goosefeather told it to me. After you and Featherwhisker left the medicine cat den. Right before I discovered it was his fault that Mistypaw died. Right before that, he told me. He recited the prophecy to me," Mosspaw admitted.

"Why would he do that?" Spottedpaw asked.

"I don't know," Mosspaw confessed. "I wanted to find out. I was about to ask him, but then I found the crushed up deathberry and forgot all about it. I didn't think about it again until now."

"So back to now, what are you thinking?" Spottedpaw asked. "Why do you think Goosefeather told you about this prophecy?"

"What if... what if I have something to do with it?" Mosspaw meowed tentatively.

Spottedpaw remained silent.

"What if I'm a part of it? What if..." Mosspaw trailed off as a discomforting scent hit her.

"What if...?" Spottedpaw meowed, basically begging for her to continue.

"Blood," Mosspaw meowed.

"Blood? What about it?" Spottedpaw asked.

"Blood! I smell blood!" Mosspaw exclaimed.

"Where is it coming from?" Spottedpaw asked worriedly.

"Uh... this way!" Mosspaw found the scent trail. She burst into a run as she followed it. Spottedpaw quickly followed her.

They skidded to a halt when they arrived at the training hollow. Mosspaw nearly gagged at the scene she found.

Stormtail lay still at the edge of the clearing, directly under a tree. A fallen branch lay next to him. Blood was gushing out of his head. The branch had hit the senior warrior's head.

Her grandfather was dead.

But that wasn't the worst part of it.

To the dead warrior's left was Stonepaw, who was gasping for air. He slowly allowed himself to fall to his paws. A dead badger lay in front of him, covered in blood. Mosspaw couldn't even tell where the badger had been wounded at.

_A badger killed Stormtail,_ Mosspaw thought. _At least, that's what Stonepaw wants us to think._

Mosspaw exchanged a horrified glance with Spottedpaw.

_But we know what really happened, don't we?_

Mosspaw turned back to her brother.

_The rain covered up the truth, didn't it? Stonepaw, you killed your mentor. You killed Stormtail. You killed our grandfather!_

Mosspaw closed her eyes.

_Why, Stonepaw? Why did you do this? What ever made you like this?_

Mosspaw lowered her head.

_StarClan, are you there? Please help me... I need help. My brother had become a cold-blooded murderer. Please save him before it's too late!_

* * *

**Icy: Aww, darn it! I really wanted this chapter to be a bit longer.**

**Wingpaw: A bit?**

**Flarepaw: This is short.**

**Icy: Pathetically short, I know. I cannot apologize enough.**

**Mistypaw: Who cares about length? I'm getting excited! I'm going to be in the next chapter!**

**Icy: Yes, Mistypaw, yes, you are.**

**Mistypaw: Yay!**

**Wingpaw: Icy, why is this chapter so short?**

**Icy: I don't know. I even added in some stuff to make it longer. I'll make it up to you next chapter, though.**

**Flarepaw: Promise?**

**Icy: I promise! Next chapter will be much longer!**

**Wingpaw: Good.**

**Icy: I'm going to go eat lunch now because I honestly got into writing this chapter and forgot all about lunch. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Look forward to the next one!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	37. Chapter 35: Only Chance

**Icy: Hello, world. Long time no see.**

**Wingpaw: What...?**

**Flarepaw: What kind of greeting is that?**

**Icy: I wondered for a way to start this off and had no ideas...**

**Flarepaw: Clearly.**

**Mistypaw: Hey! Can we please go ahead and get on with the chapter? Please?**

**Wingpaw: You know, this chapter is supposed to be really good, and so is next chapter, so let's go ahead and get on with it.**

**Icy: I couldn't agree anymore. Without further ado, here's chapter thirty five!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Five**

**Only Chance**

* * *

"Stonepaw."

Stonepaw groaned. "I don't want to get up yet," he muttered as he rolled over.

"Stonepaw."

"Go away," Stonepaw muttered.

"Stonepaw!"

Stonepaw jumped to his paws. He suddenly recognized the voice as one he had not heard in a moon. He spun around to see that his ears weren't deceiving him.

"Mistypaw?" Stonepaw exclaimed.

His blue-gray sister took a couple steps towards him but stopped. Her fur was filled with stars. Mistypaw started to take a few more steps forward but hesitated and decided not to.

"Mistypaw, what's wrong?" Stonepaw asked.

Mistypaw just stared at him. She didn't move a muscle. She didn't step forwards, or backwards, nor did she speak. It was almost as if she refused to move.

"Mistypaw? Mistypaw, please speak to me!" Stonepaw begged. "Mistypaw, what have I done wrong?"

Mistypaw finally moved, but barely. Her head dropped and she stared at the ground in shame.

"Mistypaw, what's wrong?" Stonepaw repeated his question. "Mistypaw, why won't you talk to me? Something is wrong, but you won't tell me what it is! Mistypaw, that's not a stare of sadness, that's a stare of shame."

"You think I don't know that?"

Stonepaw jumped. He barely kept himself from turning tail and running as far away as he could. For most of her life, with the exception of when she was sick and dying, Mistypaw had been a lighthearted carefree cat. It sounded as if such was no longer the case.

Stonepaw suddenly realized he had started shaking.

"Misty...paw? What do you have to-to be ashamed of?" Stonepaw stammered.

Mistypaw lifted her head back up and glared at him. "My family," she replied coldly.

Stonepaw stopped shaking. Now there was nothing but confusion nagging at his tail.

"Your family? What's wrong with our family?" Stonepaw asked.

"You're a part of it!" Mistypaw snapped in reply.

"Excuse me?" Stonepaw exclaimed. "Mistypaw, I know we've always had our differences, but..."

"Stonepaw, you're a coldhearted killer! Did you think that I would argue with you less if you started _murdering_ cats? Did you really think that StarClan would approve of your little tirades?" Mistypaw hissed.

Stonepaw froze. "You know that I killed Brindleface and Stormtail?"

"Of course I know about them! I can see you here from StarClan! All of StarClan knows about them!" Mistypaw growled in reply.

"Mistypaw, I..."

"Stonepaw, you need to change," Mistypaw meowed suddenly.

"What?" Stonepaw asked in surprise.

"You need to change everything about you," Mistypaw growled. "I won't be able to help you if you don't."

"I don't need to change! I am who I am, and you know what? I like who I am!"

"StarClan doesn't," Mistypaw meowed shortly.

"So?" Stonepaw retorted. "It's not my business if they like me or not! What _is_ my business is..."

"Being accepted into StarClan when you die," Mistypaw replied coldly.

"Excuse me?"

"This is your only chance, Stonepaw. This is the only they'll let anyone come visit you. This is the only chance I get to save you, Stonepaw, so let me save you. Please," Mistypaw added. "You're my brother. You're not a murderer."

Stonepaw remained silent. When he killed Brindleface he had thought he was killing her for the good of the Clan. With Stormtail...

Stonepaw froze.

_Does Mistypaw have a point? I thought that Frostfur was distracting me from saving ThunderClan, but was it Thistleclaw instead? I thought I was saving ThunderClan, but was I really destroying it?_

"How would you feel if it were Brindleface or Stormtail who came to talk to you?" Mistypaw asked. "The cats who you killed," she added coldly.

"They deserved it," Stonepaw meowed desperately, not even sure if he believed in what he was saying anymore. His words no longer came from his heart. They were coming from his mind, which Thistleclaw had been shaping for the past two to three moons. Stonepaw had agreed to join Thistleclaw because Thistleclaw valued him when no one else had, but Stonepaw had already told himself to let go of him soon... hadn't he?

_But it was Thistleclaw who first told me that ThunderClan was weak under Sunstar's leadership,_ Stonepaw reminded himself. _Could it be...?_

"Did they deserve it?" Mistypaw asked. "Or did you just think they did because you found them to be annoying?"

_Have the past two moons of my life all been based off of an illusion that Thistleclaw planted into my head?_

"How about killing the cats who actually deserve it?" Mistypaw suggested to him.

Stonepaw was immediately shocked out of his thoughts. "_What?_ You mean you _want_ me to _kill_ someone?"

"Someone who deserves it," Mistypaw replied. "Someone who is _actually_ a _danger to the Clan_."

"StarClan is asking me to kill someone?" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"You'll have an opportunity soon," Mistypaw replied, "to take a stand for what you believe in. StarClan is always watching you, Stonepaw. They want to see whether you belong with them or not. This is your only chance to make up for killing Brindleface and Stormtail. Will you make up for it? Or will you be condemned from StarClan because of what you've done alongside Thistleclaw?"

"Mistypaw, I... I don't know what to say..." Stonepaw stammered, unable to find an appropriate response.

"Then don't say anything," Mistypaw instructed him. "Don't tell us whether you belong with us; show us."

Stonepaw suddenly realized his legs were trembling as he closed his eyes.

"Mistypaw, I'll make up for it, I promise. I'll start today. Mistypaw, I won't let you down."

Stonepaw took a breath. He had calmed down.

"But Mistypaw, who do you want me to kill?"

Stonepaw opened his eyes. He was back in the ThunderClan apprentices' den.

Stonepaw sighed.

_I guess I'll figure that out for myself..._

* * *

"So what do you have in store for me next, Thistleclaw?" Stonepaw asked. He knew he needed to stop working with Thistleclaw, but he didn't want to do it suddenly. He figured it was better to play the part than make Thistleclaw angry and end up getting himself injured, or worse, killed. Sunstar had yet to assign Stonepaw a new mentor, so for now Thistleclaw was training both Stonepaw and Mosspaw. Well, Mosspaw seemed to never be around. Stonepaw wondered what she did. He usually saw her with Spottedpaw. Stonepaw didn't understand how Mosspaw seemed to keep up with her duties as a warrior apprentice when she never trained with Thistleclaw, but there never seemed to be a problem with that, so Stonepaw shrugged it off and continued to ignore it.

"I have determined who our next target will be," Thistleclaw replied.

"You have? Really?" Stonepaw asked. "Already?"

"Of course," Thistleclaw replied.

"That was fast," Stonepaw commented.

"I'm the deputy. I always have my eyes and ears out. There is nothing that gets by me," Thistleclaw added.

_Is that so...?_ Stonepaw wondered if Thistleclaw knew how much Mosspaw hated him. Stonepaw wasn't sure why, but after thinking about it for a bit, Stonepaw realized that Mosspaw didn't just dislike her mentor; she loathed him.

StarClan clearly thought the same way.

Stonepaw realized that he himself had mixed feelings.

Stonepaw blinked, suddenly remembering that he hadn't responded to Thistleclaw's comment yet.

"So who is our next target?" Stonepaw asked. "Who do we get to rightfully punish next?"

"Bluefur," Thistleclaw replied.

"_What_?" Stonepaw exclaimed. "You want me to kill my own mother?" _Mistypaw wanted me to kill someone, but surely she didn't mean Bluefur!_

"Your mother has been disloyal," Thistleclaw replied.

"How so?" Stonepaw asked disbelievingly.

"Thrushpelt is not her mate. Thrushpelt is not your father," Thistleclaw explained.

_But he promised us... that it wasn't just a game..._

"Then who is?" Stonepaw snapped. His anger came through more than he meant for it to.

"Oakheart of RiverClan," Thistleclaw replied.

"Oakheart? Of RiverClan? Why?" Stonepaw asked. "And how do you know this?"

"I'm not blind," Thistleclaw replied, "and neither are Amberstripe or Ottersplash."

"The cats from RiverClan," Stonepaw reminded himself aloud.

"The cats from the Alliance," Thistleclaw reminded him.

"Yes, of course," Stonepaw meowed. "It's just that I met them once and then haven't seen them again. If there have been more meetings, I haven't known about them."

"Of course you haven't," Thistleclaw replied. "It's usually just the warriors that go to the meetings. We only agreed to take the apprentices to that one meeting to see if they were up for it or not."

"What would have happened if we weren't?" Stonepaw asked curiously.

"You don't have to worry about it," Thistleclaw replied kindly. "Don't concern yourself with it."

_You would kill us._ Stonepaw could easily read between the lines. _We would do nothing wrong and you would kill us?_

Stonepaw closed his eyes.

_Mistypaw, you're talking about Thistleclaw, aren't you? The one you want me to kill?_

"So my father... is a RiverClan cat?" Stonepaw asked, changing the subject.

"Yes," Thistleclaw replied.

"And you still recruited me?" Stonepaw asked cautiously.

"It made your potential even greater. Sunstar should have stopped it from happening," Thistleclaw added.

"So what happens to Oakheart? We punish my mother but not my father? Oakheart should be punished before Bluefur should!" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"I know," Thistleclaw replied. "They both will be punished."

"How?" Stonepaw asked.

"Tomorrow," Thistleclaw replied.

"Tomorrow?" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"The Alliance has a plan. Tomorrow they will launch an attack on the ThunderClan camp. We have gotten Oakheart to join us just for tomorrow, promising that we all believe Sunningrocks should belong to RiverClan instead of ThunderClan. The plan will work, Stonepaw. There is no question about it. You can kill Oakheart in front of everyone and say that you fought like a true warrior because he threatened to take your life first," Thistleclaw added. "Isn't that great?"

"Count me in," Stonepaw replied.

"Good, because I already had," Thistleclaw meowed. "Come on; let's catch something and then head back to camp."

"Of course," Stonepaw replied. Thistleclaw turned and suddenly chased after a squirrel, which threatened to get up into the trees. Stonepaw turned around and started stalking a water vole.

_He wants me to kill my own mother,_ Stonepaw thought. _Thistleclaw is even more insane than I thought. I can't believe I ever agreed to work for him. Sunstar isn't the one who is weak, Thistleclaw is._

Stonepaw leaped and killed the water vole with one swoop of an unsheathed paw. He picked it up and prepared to take it back to camp. He turned around to see Thistleclaw jumping down from a low branch of a tree with the squirrel in his jaws.

_Tomorrow I'll do it,_ Stonepaw promised Mistypaw in his mind. _Tomorrow I will break away from Thistleclaw. You want me to kill him? Fine, I'll do it. Tomorrow at the battle is the perfect opportunity. Tomorrow I will kill Thistleclaw and make up for killing Brindleface and Stormtail._

Stonepaw nodded to Thistleclaw, signaling that he was ready to go back to camp.

_Tomorrow will be the last day Thistleclaw ever sees the sun._

* * *

**Icy: Yay! The next chapter is going to be awesome!**

**Wingpaw: Well obviously! There's going to be a major battle! Stuff is gonna go down!**

**Flarepaw: But what about Mosspaw's POV?**

**Icy: We're getting two Stonepaw chapters in a row. But come on, why would I want to interrupt this awesomeness? Besides, Mosspaw will still play an important role in the next chapter.**

**Icy: I'd be very wrong, I know.**

**Wingpaw: Next chapter soon?**

**Icy: Hopefully. I do want to update ZT, though. There's only five or so chapters left. I'm not going to start a new story when I finish ZT, so all of my fanfic attention will be put into this once I finish ZT. I'm waiting to finish this before I start a new story.**

**Wingpaw: Yay!**

**Flarepaw: You still need to update soon, though.**

**Icy: I know, I know. I make no promises for tomorrow, but I will do my best to update within a week.**

**Mistypaw: Considering the two year gap we've had in the past, that's the best we can ask for.**

**Icy: Look forward to the next chapter! I know I'm excited for it! I've been waiting to write it for a long time! See you next time on ABBD!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	38. Chapter 36: Destiny

**Icy: This chapter is going to be so much fun!**

**Wingpaw: Is the...**

**Flarepaw: Wingpaw, no. You were about to make a quote that, well, it does fit the situation, but we hate that character, so stop it.**

**Mistypaw: Icy, come on, don't keep us from this chapter any longer! I want to read this chapter!**

**Wingpaw: That's right, we've hit a climax!**

**Mistypaw: Is Thistleclaw going to die?**

**Icy: Silly Mistypaw. This is chapter 36. If there are going to be 50 chapters, then how in the world is Thistleclaw going to die in chapter 36?**

**Mistypaw: But...**

**Icy: Nah-ah, no buts. No more spoilers, either. Let's get on with this exciting chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Six**

**Destiny**

* * *

Stonepaw shuffled his paws. There were only a few minutes left until it would begin.

The beginning of what felt like the end, and what was supposed to be the end, but it certainly didn't feel like the end.

"Stonepaw, what's wrong?"

Stonepaw turned around to see his blue-gray mother. For the first time he realized just how similar Mistypaw had really been to Bluefur.

"Bluefur, are you proud of me?" Stonepaw asked, barely keeping his voice from cracking. _I'm supposed to kill you in a few minutes..._

"Well that's certainly an odd question," Bluefur replied. She flicked her tail. "Of course I'm proud of you, Stonepaw; you're my son. Why wouldn't I be proud of you?"

_She's proud of me._

Stonepaw closed his eyes. He was suddenly reminded of the game which his parents had played so long ago, but he was also reminded of what happened right before that. He had asked Stormtail if he was proud of him, but Stormtail had just snapped at him for causing him to lose a piece of prey.

Stonepaw shook his head to try and clear his thoughts, but it was no to avail.

_Stormtail is gone. Now I'm asking Bluefur the same question... Her response was different, but..._

Stonepaw snapped his eyes open.

_No! It can't be! I won't let her outcome be the same! I refuse to kill my own mother!_

"Stonepaw, of course I'm proud of you. I'm proud of both you and Mosspaw, and Mistypaw for that matter. Even though Mistypaw rests in StarClan now, I am still proud of her," Bluefur added.

Stonepaw opened his jaws to reply, but he couldn't form words. He choked on his own voice and simply closed his jaws. He hung his head.

_This can't be happening... Oh, Mistypaw, this is all my fault! Please let me fix it! Please give me an opportunity to make everything right!_

"Stonepaw, what's wrong?" Bluefur asked.

She didn't get a reply.

Their conversation was cut short by a single word.

"Attack!"

Stonepaw felt nothing but guilt and regret as he recognized the pelts of the warriors and apprentices from the other Clans.

Stonepaw unsheathed his claws.

He felt nothing but guilt and regret as he recognized the cats from the Alliance.

Stonepaw was about to look around the clearing in search of which cat he should attack first when he saw a reddish-brown blur. Stonepaw followed the blur to find that Oakheart had leaped at Bluefur and pinned her down.

"Oakheart? What is this about?" Bluefur exclaimed.

"You should have taken better care of our kits!" Oakheart hissed.

"She's taken great care of us! Better than you ever could!" Stonepaw leaped at Oakheart without a second thought. He leaped at Oakheart with such force that he pushed him off of Bluefur and slammed him against the ground.

"What are you doing? I'm your father!" Oakheart hissed at him. Stonepaw pinned him down, refusing to let him get away.

"No you're not! You have no right to call yourself that!" Stonepaw snarled. Stonepaw slammed his paws down on Oakheart's head.

"Stop!" Oakheart begged for mercy.

Stonepaw didn't give him any.

"You were about to kill my mother without a second thought," Stonepaw hissed softly. "Why should I hesitate to do the same to you?"

"Please..." Oakheart broke off as he hissed in pain. Stonepaw swiftly bent his head down, opened his jaws, and bit down into Oakheart's neck as deep as he possibly could. Stonepaw didn't remove his teeth from the reddish-brown tabby's neck until he was satisfied by the sound of gurgling as he tried to breathe.

Stonepaw pulled his head back. Oakheart's eyes went dull and stared out into nothing as his head dropped on the ground. There was no longer any life to support it.

Stonepaw turned to his mother. "Bluefur, are you okay?"

"Yes," Bluefur replied. "Stonepaw... how did you know?" Stonepaw was relieved that Bluefur wasn't getting angry at him for killing her former mate. Bluefur herself almost seemed relieved. Stonepaw briefly wondered if there had been some problems after he and his sisters had been born, but he quickly pushed the thought aside. He had bigger concerns at the moment.

"Don't worry about that right now," Stonepaw replied. "We've got bigger problems to worry about."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Bluefur muttered. "This battle is getting out of paw."

"No, not just that," Stonepaw meowed.

"Then what?" Bluefur asked.

Stonepaw cast a glance at the clearing. He fixed his gaze on the gray pelt of Thistleclaw as he pretended to fight Amberstripe, the silver she-cat from RiverClan. The two obviously weren't fighting as harshly as they could; they were allies. Why should they fight hard against each other? They weren't enemies, they were only pretending to be. For the average cat in the heat of battle, it wouldn't be noticed, but Stonepaw wasn't the average cat in the heat of battle. He knew what to look out for. He noticed.

"Thistleclaw," Stonepaw meowed. He turned to look back at his mother. One word was all he had needed.

"Thistleclaw?" Bluefur asked. There was no surprise in her voice. She seemed distracted as she repeated the deputy's name.

"He planned all of this," Stonepaw replied. "These cats are from all three of the other Clans. They formed an alliance; as a matter of fact, they're even calling themselves _the Alliance_. Thistleclaw recruited me at first, but I soon found the wrong in his ways. I've stayed with them to spy on them and find out what their plans are. Thistleclaw is doing all of this to try and overthrow Sunstar. He's going to try and kill him!"

"I thought he might do something so... bloodthirsty..." Bluefur muttered in disgust.

"What? You knew about this?" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"Yes. I feared something like this might happen. I almost... I could have become deputy instead of him, but I had kits to care for, so I couldn't. I could have, but..." Bluefur trailed off, shaking her head.

"How?" Stonepaw asked.

"I could have given you up... to Oakheart," Bluefur stammered in reply.

"No!" Stonepaw exclaimed. "You did the right thing in keeping us in ThunderClan. You did the right thing, Bluefur."

"And now I can do the right thing again," Bluefur meowed. It was almost as if she was realizing something and was saying it out loud as she did so.

"What do you mean?" Stonepaw asked.

"It's time I fulfill my destiny," Bluefur replied.

"What? Destiny?" Stonepaw asked.

"I was given a prophecy a long time ago, but I ignored it because you, Mistypaw, and Mosspaw were more important to me. Now it is time I return to the prophecy that I once abandoned," Bluefur added.

"Bluefur...?" Stonepaw meowed worriedly. "What are you going to do?"

"Look away," Bluefur replied to him softly. "I'm sorry, Stonepaw. I love you, my son. I am more proud of you than you could ever imagine. Tell Mosspaw I'm sorry that I couldn't say goodbye."

"What? Bluefur? Bluefur, no!" Stonepaw cried, but he was too late.

There was nothing he could do to stop Bluefur as she ran across the clearing and leaped straight at Thistleclaw.

"Bluefur, what are you doing?" Thistleclaw exclaimed. "Attacking your own deputy?"

"I know you're up to no good!" Bluefur hissed as she ran her unsheathed paws across his pelt. Thistleclaw winced in pain as Bluefur ripped off large chunks of his fur, but Amberstripe covered him while he took only moments to recover. Together, Thistleclaw and Amberstripe attacked Bluefur. Stonepaw crouched down. He was about to leap in and save his mother, but the soft touch of a tail-tip pulled him back.

"Watch," the cat meowed. Stonepaw recognized the voice. He turned around to see his gray-and-white sister.

"Mosspaw? What are you doing? I have to save her!" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"Watch, Stonepaw," Mosspaw ordered him. Her meow was harsh and cold. Her voice was ruthless and unforgiving. "Watch the cat who you hold in the highest regard. Watch the cat that is our deputy. Watch him kill our mother. Watch and learn, Stonepaw. Learn what you have done wrong. Learn that you've believed in the wrong thing. Learn what we have to do next."

Stonepaw stood still. He wanted nothing more than to leap in and save his mother, but he knew that Mosspaw was right.

_This is the price I have to pay,_ Stonepaw thought to Mistypaw, hoping she was listening to him from where she stood in StarClan. _This is the price I have to pay for what I've done, isn't it?_

Stonepaw blinked. Only a moment had passed by, but it felt like seasons. He stood there and watched as a battered up blue-gray body fell to the ground. The gray tom and the silver she-cat stood above it with victory shining in their eyes.

"No!" Stonepaw cried out in agony.

_Bluefur is dead. My mother is dead and it's my fault._

Amberstripe lifted her head from where she had been looking at her finest work. "Retreat!" she yowled. Only moments later she burst out of the camp entrance. The rest of the Alliance quickly followed in pursuit. Fleckedpaw, who had a deep scratch on her hind leg, limped behind. She was much slower at exiting the camp than the rest of the Alliance members were. Thistleclaw simply watched as she limped by him. He was letting her go.

_No. Bluefur is dead because of the Alliance. I cannot let this go unpunished._

Stonepaw suddenly burst into a run and pushed his paws off of the ground as he bowled over Fleckedpaw. Stonepaw exchanged a quick glance with Mosspaw as he got to his paws. He expected Mosspaw to be angry at him, but she didn't seem to care. Her stare was plain. She was simply waiting to see what happened next. She wasn't going to interfere; she was only going to watch.

As Fleckedpaw struggled to get to her paws, Stonepaw ran his claws along the ground. Oakheart's blood still sat on them, along with the rest of the blood that had been lost during the battle. Stonepaw lifted his paw once his claws were plenty dirty. Without hesitation, Stonepaw dug his claws as deep into the skin as he could while he swiped his paw across Fleckedpaw's face. Stonepaw felt the slightest sense of satisfaction as he saw that Fleckedpaw's eyes had been scratched. Blood began gushing out of the deep cut Stonepaw's claws had made. It wouldn't be fatal, but it would make her blind.

"Stonepaw, what are you doing?" Fleckedpaw exclaimed.

"You killed my mother!" Stonepaw snarled.

"Stonepaw, are you insane?" Fleckedpaw hissed.

"No," Stonepaw replied coldly, "you are. Now get out of my territory!"

Fleckedpaw got up to her paws again. Her eyes were closing themselves against her will. She shook her head to try and shake off the pain, but it was to no avail.

"I don't know where to go..." Fleckedpaw whispered.

"Then figure it out," Stonepaw growled.

Fleckedpaw turned her head. Stonepaw turned and followed her ever-fading gaze to find his gray deputy.

_Thistleclaw,_ he thought angrily.

"Patchpelt and Tigerclaw, show her to the border," Thistleclaw ordered. "Make sure the rest of them have all left while you're at it."

"Tigerclaw, no!" Stonepaw recognized the yowl as Leopardfoot's. He turned around to see the black she-cat bent over a dark brown tabby body.

Tigerclaw had been killed during the battle.

Stonepaw turned his attention back to Thistleclaw.

"Patchpelt and Lionheart," Thistleclaw corrected himself after realizing his former apprentice was dead. After watching the two warriors lead Fleckedpaw out of camp, Thistleclaw padded over to Stonepaw.

Stonepaw let out a low growl.

"Nice cover," Thistleclaw whispered to him. "Congratulations on a mission complete."

"Mission my tail," Stonepaw hissed in reply. "I'm not working with you anymore; you're insane."

"Your mother deserved to die," Thistleclaw whispered to him. He turned his head. Stonepaw followed the deputy's gaze to see that Mosspaw had padded up to them. Mosspaw stopped walking and sat herself down right next to Stonepaw.

"Say that to my face," Mosspaw hissed at him. "I know you killed Rusty and Princess. Plus Brindleface? And Stormtail? I know what you did," Mosspaw added. "Now you can add my mother to the list."

"_We_ can," Stonepaw put in, exchanging a quick glance with his sister. "I'm done working with you, Thistleclaw. We're through."

"But what about your destiny? To restore ThunderClan to what it once was? To take down Sunstar, the weak leader?" Thistleclaw asked him.

"None of that is my destiny. That's not your destiny either, Thistleclaw. You're insane. I can't believe I ever believed in you."

* * *

**Wingpaw: Yay!**

**Flarepaw: Welcome back from the dark side, Stonepaw!**

**Stonepaw: Uh... thanks?**

**Icy: Okay, so we didn't get to see Thistleclaw die, which might be a bit disappointing to some of you, but considering everything that _did_ happen in this epic chapter, I think we've made up for it. I'm sure some of you are going to be mad at me for killing Bluefur, but it had to happen. It was her destiny. The prologue was about how she abandoned her prophecy. Well, she died redeeming herself. Now it's up to Stonepaw and Mosspaw to finish in her steps.**

**Mistypaw: Wait, why did you kill off Tigerclaw?**

**Icy: This story is about Thistleclaw's evil. We can't have Tigerclaw getting in the way of that.**

**Wingpaw: Sure, sure.**

**Flarepaw: Seriously, though, this chapter was definitely a climax!**

**Icy: That it was, that it was. I just wanted to mention real quick how great it was listening to "Through the Fire and Flames" as I wrote this chapter. It fits in kind of nice, actually. Especially when Bluefur realized what she had to do.**

**Mistypaw: Okay...**

**Icy: Alright, let's go ahead and cut off this AN before it gets too long. See you next time!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	39. Chapter 37: Asking for Forgiveness

**Icy: So the action is going to die down for a bit now that we've just passed a climax... Oh, I'm just kidding. This chapter is going to seem a bit boring, but you're going to hate me for the cliffhanger.**

**Wingpaw: What is it with you and cliffhangers?**

**Icy: I don't know... but I always wonder the same thing about Syfy...**

**Flarepaw: What does Syfy have to do with cliffhangers...?**

**Icy: They always end the season with a major cliffhanger, leaving you thinking "what the hell are they going to do about this?" Either that, or "what the hell happens next?" Seriously, though...**

**Mistypaw: I think you're just mad because you don't want to have to wait until 2014 for the next season of Warehouse 13...**

**Icy: It's so frustrating! It was such a good season finale, yet I don't know how I'm going to manage to wait until next season...**

**Flarepaw: Enough of this, Icy! Let's get on with the chapter!**

**Icy: Right! Fanfic! A distraction! Good enough excuse for me. Oh yeah, I'm almost done with Zero Two, so soon enough this will be the only fanfic I'm writing.**

**Mistypaw: Yay!**

**Icy: Okay, that's enough. This AN is getting long.**

**Wingpaw: It's your fault, you know...**

**Icy: On with the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

**Asking for Forgiveness**

* * *

The gray-and-white she-cat took a large jump, easily landing in front of the mouse. It tried turning around and running the other way, but it ran right into the paws of a gray tom. The gray tom easily killed it with one blow.

"Nice catch," the gray-and-white she-cat meowed.

"Nice teamwork," the gray tom meowed back.

"Just the two of us hunting is a lot of fun," the gray-and-white she-cat meowed.

"I don't think the two of us have ever hunted alone before," the gray tom agreed. "Strange, considering how long we've been apprentices now..."

"Well, you and Mistypaw were always arguing," the gray-and-white she-cat meowed.

"You always left us to it and just went about doing whatever it is that you do," the gray tom replied.

"Stonepaw, I've missed you," the gray-and-white she-cat meowed.

"Mosspaw, I've been here the whole time," Stonepaw replied.

"It sure hasn't felt like it," Mosspaw retorted.

Stonepaw sighed. "I know it hasn't, but..."

Mosspaw raised her tail, cutting him off. She angled her ears, pointing at a vole. Stonepaw turned around. He flicked his tail, signaling that he would get it on his own. Mosspaw simply sat and watched as Stonepaw took a large leap, landing right on top of the vole. With the swipe of a paw, Mosspaw knew the vole was dead.

_Bluefur was always right; he really is a natural at this,_ Mosspaw couldn't help but think. She closed her eyes.

_Bluefur, are you with Mistypaw in StarClan? Can you see me now? Do you know about the prophecy?_

Mosspaw opened her eyes.

_Do you think I should tell Stonepaw about it?_

"That was an easy catch," Stonepaw meowed, bringing the vole over. He set it down next to the mouse.

"There sure is a lot of prey for such a cold leaf-fall," Mosspaw agreed.

"It's hard to believe that it's not leaf-bare yet," Stonepaw retorted. "This weather makes me inclined to believe that it already is."

"The moon hasn't been full enough times for that yet," Mosspaw reminded him. "We've still got another moon to go."

"I know, but it sure is hard to believe..." Stonepaw muttered.

"Is it possible for leaf-bare to get here early?" Mosspaw wondered aloud.

"It feels cold enough to be," Stonepaw retorted.

Mosspaw quickly shrugged it off. "We should be thankful there's as much prey as there is."

"There won't be for long, though," Stonepaw reminded her.

"With any luck there will be," Mosspaw meowed.

"Luck? What luck are you talking about? You mean the luck that we as a family don't have?" Stonepaw asked.

"Right. Never mind that idea," Mosspaw muttered.

"Do you think we should go ahead and take this prey back to camp?" Stonepaw asked. "I'm sure Thistleclaw and Fuzzypelt would appreciate seeing us for a couple of moments." Sunstar had assigned Fuzzypelt as Stonepaw's new mentor after the battle yesterday. Thistleclaw and Fuzzypelt were working on the camp repairs today, so they had allowed Stonepaw and Mosspaw to choose between repairing the den walls or hunting. They had both quickly chosen hunting.

"They can go without seeing us," Mosspaw muttered, twitching her tail-tip. "The less I see Thistleclaw, the better."

"You two have always had a sour relationship, though," Stonepaw reminded her. "I just betrayed him yesterday. I have better reason to avoid him than you do."

"He did make me climb up really high in a tree on my first day of training instead of, oh, I don't know, doing something logical, like showing me the borders or something," Mosspaw remembered aloud.

"On my first day training, Stormtail basically told me to go hunting with Mistypaw because I wasn't very good at battling," Stonepaw meowed reminiscently.

"I know you and Stormtail had your differences, but..." Mosspaw broke off. She shook her head.

"But what?" Stonepaw asked. He sat down and began licking his front right paw.

"Never mind," Mosspaw meowed, shaking her head.

"No, what is it? Come on, Mosspaw, I know you want to ask it, so ask it," Stonepaw added.

Mosspaw sighed. "I know you had your differences, but why did you kill him?"

"At the time I thought it was the right thing to do," Stonepaw replied.

Mosspaw sat down. She pulled her tail around with her paw and began washing the tip of it.

"At the time?" Mosspaw asked.

"I don't think it was the right thing anymore," Stonepaw meowed. "Of course I don't! Killing Brindleface and Stormtail was wrong."

Mosspaw dropped her tail. She was about to pick it up again, but she stopped and let it lay on the ground. It twisted around to lay behind her where she couldn't see it.

"When did you first realize Thistleclaw was wrong?" Mosspaw asked.

"When he first took me to meet the other members of the Alliance," Stonepaw replied. "I thought that I would work with Thistleclaw for a while and use his help to take care of Sunstar, but then I thought I would take care of Thistleclaw myself."

"What do you think now?" Mosspaw asked, twitching her ears as a couple of raindrops fell on them.

"I can see the truth now," Stonepaw replied. "Sunstar isn't a weak leader; he's a strong leader. Thistleclaw is a weak deputy."

"I wouldn't necessarily call him weak..." Mosspaw retorted.

"He's weak-minded. He's insane," Stonepaw meowed. "Thistleclaw is insane. Mistypaw visited me in a dream the day before yesterday," he began. "She told me that what I had done was wrong and that I would soon have a chance to make up for my mistakes. I think that betraying Thistleclaw was only the beginning of that. I think that I have to take Thistleclaw down, completely, before I can truly make up for what I've done."

Mosspaw opened her jaws. She was a heartbeat away from mentioning the prophecy, but Stonepaw continued, not giving her a chance to.

"Mistypaw helped me begin to see it, but you helped me finished seeing the truth. You helped me see the truth, Mosspaw. I was too busy trying to see through Thistleclaw's insane plans to see Sunstar's innocence. He's actually a really good leader now that I give it a closer look. Sunstar has done nothing wrong. It's all Thistleclaw. I'm sorry we've been driven apart for so long, but I want to work together with you," Stonepaw added.

Mosspaw sat still. She didn't say anything.

_The prophecy only says that _kin _will form a stronger flame... It doesn't say whether it's just one cat or if it's multiple cats... Can Stonepaw and I work together to be the stronger flame?_

"Please, Mosspaw... let me work with you to take Thistleclaw down. I owe it to you. I owe it to Brindleface. I owe it to Stormtail. I was angry because of Thistleclaw... Mosspaw, I want to atone for my mistakes! Please let me!" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"Stonepaw..." Mosspaw began. She was about to agree with him and let him work with her, but she stopped when she felt something prod her tail. When she turned around, all she saw was a golden-and-brown blur as she felt claws scratch her head. She felt blood drip down from above her eyes down to her nose as everything started spinning around her. Everything turned from a colorful blur to an uncomfortable darkness as she felt herself falling over. Her eyes closed themselves against her will, leaving black to be all she could see as she lost consciousness.

* * *

**Wingpaw: Icy, no!**

**Flarepaw: Icy, why do you do this?**

**Mistypaw: Icy, what in the name of StarClan is happening?**

**Icy: See? I told you that you'd hate me for the cliffhanger.**

**Flarepaw: Icy~!**

**Wingpaw: This is cruelty!**

**Mistypaw: How can you do this to us?**

**Icy: Okay, so the next few chapters are all going to take up one day. The next climax will be in about six chapters or so. The next climax ends the current day, meaning that this is going to be one hectic day for Stonepaw and Mosspaw. Just when you thought Mosspaw was going to let Stonepaw share her responsibilities of the prophecy and there might be a possibility for happiness, Mosspaw gets knocked unconscious. But who was it exactly that hit her face? It's someone that Stonepaw is more familiar with than he'd like to be, but that all you're getting from me today!**

**Wingpaw: Icy...**

**Flarepaw: You are so evil...**

**Mistypaw: Seriously, I kind of hate you now...**

**Icy: I know, I know, and I forgive you. If I were sitting where you were, I'd hate me, too. Well, that's enough for today. Let's end this AN before it gets too long. See you next time!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	40. Chapter 38: The Price of Betrayal

**Icy: This is crazy! The Warehouse 13 season 4 box set is already out!**

**Wingpaw: What? It is? How?**

**Icy: I don't know! The last episode aired on July 8 and the box set came out on July 9! Isn't that crazy?**

**Flarepaw: So let me guess, you're not going to update for a while now because you're going to get the box set and have a marathon?**

**Icy: No... I already own it all in iTunes because we bought the episode each week. We downgraded our TV and don't get Syfy anymore...**

**Flarepaw: Oh. Okay then.**

**Icy: I am, however, not going to be able to update for a while. I'm going to try and update a decent amount this week, but the next two weeks are going to be update-less. Especially next week.**

**Wingpaw: What? Why?**

**Icy: Band camp.**

**Wingpaw: Oh...**

**Mistypaw: Hey, can we go ahead and get on with the chapter, please? I want to find out what happens to Stonepaw and Mosspaw!**

**Icy: Alright, alright. Let's go ahead and get on with the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

**The Price of Betrayal**

* * *

"Stonepaw..."

Stonepaw's heart skipped a beat as Mosspaw's answer was cut off. A golden tabby she-cat with brown mottled spots accidentally stepped on Mosspaw's tail. Stonepaw opened his jaws to warn Mosspaw, but by the time his voice could work it was already too late. Mosspaw turned around to see what had stepped on her tail, but the golden tabby she-cat struck out at her with an unsheathed paw. Mosspaw fell to the ground. Stonepaw was horrified to find that she had received a head injury.

"No... just like Stormtail..." Stonepaw whispered.

The claw marks were just above her eyes. The golden tabby she-cat had barely kept from blinding her. Stonepaw assumed it was a mistake; she had probably meant to blind Mosspaw.

Stonepaw looked up to see the golden tabby she-cat glaring at her.

_Leopardpaw,_ he thought.

"You betrayed the Alliance. You blinded my sister! Did you really think I would forgive you?" Leopardpaw asked.

"Did you think _we_ would forgive you?"

Stonepaw turned around to see a long-haired silver she-cat. Stonepaw recognized her as Amberstripe. Before Stonepaw could even blink, Amberstripe leaped at him, easily pinning him down. Stonepaw hadn't realized what was happening until it was too late. He tried to break free, but Amberstripe's grip was too strong. He suddenly felt helpless. _I've gone through so much training with Thistleclaw... just to lay here helplessly under the grip on one warrior? From another Clan at that?_

"My apprentice is in a lot of pain because of you."

Stonepaw tilted his head to see a gray-and-brown tabby she-cat. It was Fleckedpaw's mentor, Willowfur.

Stonepaw tried to break free again, but Amberstripe just tightened her grip on him.

"Listen, ThunderClan rat," Amberstripe hissed. "You've betrayed us, and now you're going to pay the price for it."

"I already have! I lost my mother!" Stonepaw spat at her face. Amberstripe shook her head in disgust. Stonepaw tried to take advantage and break free of it, but a gray-and-brown paw slapped his head against the ground. Stonepaw felt a little winded as the paw was lifted off of his head. Amberstripe and Willowfur weren't leaving anything to chance.

_They're smarter than Thistleclaw,_ Stonepaw realized. _They may work for him, and he may be the leader that binds them together, but they're better than him._

Stonepaw gulped.

_Either that, or I've never seen the true side of Thistleclaw... Oh, Mosspaw, what are we doing, trying to stop Thistleclaw? I wish Bluefur was still alive. She said it was her prophecy to take care of this; she should be here to save us, but she isn't... and it's my fault..._

"Now, here are our options," Amberstripe hissed.

"I don't want to hear anything from you," Stonepaw hissed back.

"You're going to want to hear this," Willowfur warned him.

"We can kill your sister," Amberstripe started.

"Leave your filthy fish paws off of my sister!" Stonepaw growled.

"There's other options. Would you like to hear the rest of them? They get better," Amberstripe added.

"Better for me? Or better for you?" Stonepaw retorted.

"Both," Amberstripe admitted honestly.

"Then let me hear them," Stonepaw snapped.

"I would if you would shut your muzzle for a moment," Amberstripe snapped back.

Stonepaw shut his jaws, signaling that he was ready to hear the other options.

"We can kill both you and your sister," Amberstripe meowed, continuing to list Stonepaw's so-called options.

"I don't think so!" Stonepaw snapped.

"Keep your muzzle shut!" Amberstripe snapped back. "I've got better options, but every time you snap at me I become less willing to give them to you."

_These options aren't getting better for me,_ Stonepaw almost retorted, but he decided against it.

"We can take your sister prisoner of RiverClan," Amberstripe continued.

_I have to admit, that is a little better..._

"Or we can just take you as prisoner of RiverClan," Amberstripe concluded.

Stonepaw closed his eyes.

"Are those all of my options?" he asked.

"That's it," Amberstripe replied. "You'd better make your decision quickly, before I make it for you."

"What's the rush?" Stonepaw taunted, opening his eyes. "It's not like you're in another Clan's territory or anything."

"Think quickly, Stonepaw," Willowfur advised him. "You're hanging onto your life and your sister's life by a single piece of fur. You want to save your sister or yourself?"

"My sister," Stonepaw replied immediately.

"So what is it going to be?" Amberstripe asked tauntingly.

"Take me," Stonepaw meowed without hesitation.

"You're agreeing to become RiverClan's prisoner?" Amberstripe asked.

"As long as you leave my sister out of this, yes," Stonepaw replied.

Amberstripe's grip loosened just the slightest.

"Interesting," Amberstripe meowed. "Good to keep in mind."

"Excuse me?" Stonepaw asked.

"Well, I'm glad to have your opinion, but the decision is really still up to me," Amberstripe meowed.

"That's not the deal!" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"You don't get to make any deals!" Amberstripe snapped. "You blinded one of our apprentices!"

"My apprentice!" Willowfur hissed.

"My sister!" Leopardpaw spat.

"You're really not in a position to make any deals," Amberstripe snapped at him. "You should be glad I asked you for your opinion."

"So what _are_ you going to do?" Stonepaw asked.

"I'm still thinking about it," Amberstripe replied.

"There's no rush," Stonepaw taunted her. "It's not like you're a RiverClan cat in ThunderClan territory or anything."

"Seriously? A single piece of fur? Your life and your sister's life?" Leopardpaw asked.

"Do you not care about saving your sister?" Willowfur asked.

"That's all I care about!" Stonepaw hissed.

"Then act like it," Willowfur growled.

"I am," Stonepaw growled back. "I'm trying to convince Amberstripe to take me as prisoner instead of killing my sister."

"You're not doing a very good job of it," Amberstripe retorted.

Stonepaw glared at her. "If you so much as touch a hair on my sister's pelt, then I will kill all of you. Don't think I won't, because I will."

"Good luck with that," Amberstripe taunted him. "It's not like it's three of us against one of you or anything."

_Two of us,_ Stonepaw was about to retort, but he stopped himself. Mosspaw had a head injury. She wasn't exactly battle-ready against three enraged RiverClan members of the Alliance.

"Stone...paw?"

Stonepaw would have jumped to his paws at the voice if he could have.

"Mosspaw?" Stonepaw asked. "Are you okay? Mosspaw!"

Stonepaw tried to shake Amberstripe off and get to his paws, but Amberstripe was relentless. She simply shoved his face into the ground with a paw to muffle it. Stonepaw tried to shake his head, but it was of no use. He tried to smell for blood to see just how bad Mosspaw's injury was, but all he could smell was his face full of mud, thanks to none other than Amberstripe.

"Stonepaw?" Mosspaw asked. From the sound of it, she had regained consciousness, but not completely. Perhaps that was even more dangerous.

"Mosspaw!" Stonepaw tried to yowl at her to run away, but he couldn't even get through her name without getting a mouthful of mud. He had no way of warning her.

"Alright, Stonepaw, I've made my decision," Amberstripe meowed to him.

_And?_ Stonepaw wondered.

Amberstripe released the grip on his head. He looked up just in time to see the glow in Amberstripe's eyes as she gave Willowfur and Leopardpaw their order.

"Kill her."

* * *

**Icy: Alright, then. There we have our next cliffhanger in a series of cliffhangers. Don't you just love them?**

**Wingpaw: No.**

**Flarepaw: This is torture, Icy. It's just torture.**

**Icy: I know... I'm so mean... Why do I love cliffhangers so much? I actually don't. When I'm a part of the audience, I hate cliffhangers, but when I'm writing the story? It seems like there's almost always a cliffhanger...**

**Mistypaw: Icy, I still think you're kind of mean. I want to know what happens very badly.**

**Icy: I know you do. Everyone does. Well, you're in luck. I'm going to try and update again soon. I want to get in at least one, if not two or three, more updates before my two-week band camp hiatus.**

**Wingpaw: But that won't get us to the next climax!**

**Flarepaw: Please get us to the next climax!**

**Icy: (sighs) I'll see what I can do.**

**Mistypaw: Yay!**

**Wingpaw: Thank you!**

**Flarepaw: Thank you!**

**Icy: Alright, alright. This AN is getting a bit long, so I'm going to cut it off here. See you next time!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	41. Chapter 39: The Cruelty of Reality

**Icy: Arg! This outline makes me so angry with myself sometimes!**

**Wingpaw: Okay...?**

**Flarepaw: Why...?**

**Icy: The description in this outline seems longer, but it's really just more descriptive and more detailed with the dialogue, meaning that this chapter is actually going to be shorter than usual instead of longer than usual...**

**Mistypaw: A shorter chapter? Icy, why?**

**Icy: Because there's going to be yet another cliffhanger at the end, and it doesn't make sense for the chapter to go any farther than that.**

**Wingpaw: You and your evil cliffhangers...**

**Flarepaw: Indeed, they are evil.**

**Mistypaw: We all know about Icy's problems with cliffhangers, so how about we just ignore it for a while and get on with the chapter?**

**Icy: That's an excellent plan, Mistypaw! On with the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

**The Cruelty of Reality**

* * *

"_Kill her."_

Mosspaw's eyes snapped open. She was immediately brought back to her senses as the words hit her. She comprehended them as quickly as she could. With her heart pounding in her ears, she realized her life was in danger.

Adrenaline tried rushing through her, but her head injury was still causing her a lot of pain. Mosspaw forced her eyes shut as she tried to block out the pain. When her eyes were open, the world still wasn't standing still yet.

_They've got Stonepaw, so I'm all on my own,_ Mosspaw thought. She hadn't heard much of the conversation, but she had heard enough to know that she and Stonepaw were outnumbered, especially thanks to Mosspaw's head injury.

_How could I be so careless?_ Mosspaw felt like slapping herself in the head with her tail because of her own stupidity, but she knew that wasn't exactly the best course of action at the moment.

_You weren't careless,_ Mosspaw reminded herself, _just unprepared. You were in your own territory; you didn't expect for someone to be there, ready to attack you._

Mosspaw was surprised she hadn't scented the RiverClan cats before. She hadn't known any of their names, but she was starting to learn them thanks to listening in on the conversation.

_I wonder if she meant to step on my tail,_ Mosspaw couldn't help but think. _Probably not. I'm probably lucky that I even saw her at all before she attacked me._

More importantly than anything else, Mosspaw knew one thing:

She and Stonepaw were currently in a lot of danger.

"_Kill her."_

Mosspaw briefly wondered if time had frozen. She heard the words again, but she was certain it was the first time they were being spoken. Mosspaw had been distracted by her thoughts, but now her thoughts were bringing her back to reality.

_They've been ordered to kill me,_ Mosspaw reminded herself.

She nearly gasped as it hit her.

_It only takes one of them to hold down Stonepaw, meaning that right now I've got two cats in the middle of attacking me..._

Forcing herself out of her thoughts and back to reality, Mosspaw rolled away in just the nick of time. She opened her eyes to see a gray-and-brown she-cat and a young golden tabby she-cat with mottled brown spots slam into each other. They had leaped at her from in front of her and behind her, but a quick and simple roll to the right had probably just saved her life.

Mosspaw didn't giver herself anymore time to get lost in her thoughts. She jumped to her paws as the two RiverClan cats recovered from being winded after hitting each other. Mosspaw turned to see a long-haired silver she-cat pushing Stonepaw's face into the ground.

_Amberstripe,_ she assumed.

Before her head injury could kick in and make her dizzy again, Mosspaw leaped at Amberstripe, bowling her over. Mosspaw and Amberstripe rolled over a tail-length away from Stonepaw.

_Get up, Stonepaw! Now!_ Mosspaw willed her brother. She just hoped he took advantage of her attempt to save him.

Mosspaw tried to pin down the silver RiverClan warrior, but Amberstripe easily threw her off. Mosspaw heard a loud thump as she landed on her back. Her head bobbed against the ground, adding to the edge of her fall. Mosspaw tried to jump up to her paws, but her head injury decided to kick in again. The world started spinning again. Mosspaw suddenly found herself blinking the blood out of her eyes.

"Mosspaw!"

Mosspaw narrowed her eyes to try and see as clearly as she could. She recognized the voice. Although she could barely make it out, she recognized the shape of her brother that matched his voice. He had successfully gotten back up to his paws while Mosspaw had distracted Amberstripe.

"Willowfur! Leopardpaw! What are you doing? Kill her!" Amberstripe growled.

Mosspaw tried to make out the individual shapes of each of the cats, but her eyes were deceiving her.

_Stonepaw, I need to tell you about the prophecy..._ Mosspaw couldn't help but think.

"Amberstripe, stop it!" Stonepaw hissed.

_Stonepaw, you need to know the truth... about our lives... about the paths laid down for us..._

Mosspaw felt her eyes starting to close themselves against her will.

_If anything else happens to me... If I don't make it through this...then you need to know..._

Mosspaw shakily got to her paws. She tried to stay up, but she felt herself beginning to fall before she had even finished getting up to her paws.

_You need to know that StarClan is supporting us... You need to know that there is a prophecy for us to complete, and if I'm not here... then it's up to you, Stonepaw. I thought the prophecy was mine... but it might be yours..._

Mosspaw suddenly realized that she was standing up. Someone was supporting her. Mosspaw forced her eyes open and realized that Stonepaw had run over to her. Stonepaw was holding her up with his shoulder.

_Stonepaw, I don't care who it is if it's you instead of me, but I just need you to know that there is a prophecy... and one of us _has_ to complete it..._

Mosspaw closed her eyes again.

_StarClan, are you watching us? Mistypaw? Come on, StarClan, after all that you've told me and Spottedpaw, you're just going to let me die here with three RiverClan cats in my own territory?_

Mosspaw would have snorted if she had been alone.

_Oh yeah, you let my sister get murdered by an old, insane medicine cat while she had greencough. Why wouldn't you let me die in my own territory? Oh yeah, my mother died in our own camp by the paws of my own deputy and mentor. You know what? Maybe I expected too much of you, StarClan. How am I supposed to know whether the prophecy is to me or Stonepaw? Was it too much for me to think that there would be two of us to tackle the prophecy? Was it too much to ask to not have to face Thistleclaw alone?_

"Amberstripe, please... this has nothing to do with Mosspaw! Leave her out of it!" Stonepaw exclaimed.

_Stonepaw..._ Mosspaw wanted desperately to have just a few moments to speak with her brother, but that was clearly too much to ask for. Mosspaw thought Stonepaw had been done speaking, but he hadn't been. She was shocked by what he said next.

"Take me! I'll be your prisoner or I'll do anything you want me to, but leave her alone! Take me and leave her alone!" Stonepaw added.

* * *

**Icy: Yep, yep, it's prisoner time for Stonepaw... or is it? Meanwhile, Mosspaw's head injury is keeping her from being able to properly defend her brother or herself. Will her head injury get better or worse? Will she even make it through this? Will Stonepaw? Of course one of them will because the prophecy can't just fail right here, but will they be able to tackle it together? Or will one of them be forced to take on Thistleclaw by themselves?**

**Wingpaw: What's with all of the questions?**

**Icy: Just sparking some thoughts.**

**Mistypaw: Mosspaw still believes in StarClan, doesn't she?**

**Icy: Of course she does. She's just a bit frustrated with them right now, as she understandably would be...**

**Mistypaw: So what happens now?**

**Icy: Did you honestly expect me to answer that?**

**Mistypaw: (sighs) No...**

**Icy: You'll just have to wait 'till next time find out! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this last chapter, but we've reached 200 reviews! That's a major achievement! This was my first story to ever reach 50 reviews, so you can imagine how amazing it is to reach 200.**

**Wingpaw: It is quite the achievement.**

**Flarepaw: Absolutely.**

**Icy: Alright, well, this AN is getting a bit long, so I'll go ahead and end it here. See you next time!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	42. Chapter 40: The Face of Death

**Icy: Wow, we made it. This is very impressive.**

**Wingpaw: What have we done exactly?**

**Mistypaw: We made it to chapter 40!**

**Flarepaw: That is quite an impressive feat for you, Icy.**

**Icy: Exactly. To celebrate, next chapter is in Mistypaw's POV!**

**Mistypaw: Wait, seriously?**

**Icy: That's not the actual reason why next chapter is in your POV, but yes, the next chapter is in your POV.**

**Mistypaw: Awesome!**

**Wingpaw: Isn't it the last time we'll ever see Mistypaw's POV?**

**Mistypaw: What? No!**

**Icy: Hmm... I'm not answering that right now.**

**Flarepaw: Why not?**

**Icy: Hey, let's get on with the chapter! I know you're eagerly awaiting to see what happens next, so let's hit it!**

* * *

**Chapter Forty**

**The Face of Death**

* * *

"_Take me and leave her alone!"_

"What?" Mosspaw exclaimed. "Stonepaw, you can't... just..."

"Mosspaw, you aren't okay," Stonepaw whispered to his sister. "You have a head injury and it's my fault."

"It's not your fault," Mosspaw whispered back.

"I don't want you to get hurt anymore because of the mistakes I have made. I have to atone for them, not you," Stonepaw added.

"Stonepaw, no..."

Stonepaw took a step away from Mosspaw to prove a point. Without someone to lean on, Mosspaw fell over in seconds.

"I'm so sorry, Mosspaw," Stonepaw meowed. "Please forgive me for what I've done... and for what I'm about to do..."

Mosspaw said nothing. Stonepaw wondered if she had last consciousness, but a twitch of the ear told him that she was still conscious. Mosspaw couldn't get up and help; all she could do was lay there and listen.

Stonepaw turned to look at Amberstripe. He slowly padded over to her. Rain was suddenly unleashed upon them from the sky. Stonepaw didn't have to look up to see the dark gray, almost black storm clouds. Amberstripe looked up and immediately put her head back down. She shook her head from side to side to try and get the water out of her eyes.

"I thought you were RiverClan cats; what's a little water in your eyes going to do?" Stonepaw taunted her.

Amberstripe glared at him. "You'd better keep your mouth shut, Stonepaw, because I'm about to make a decision that you're going to be very thankful for."

"Take me," Stonepaw insisted. "Leave Mosspaw out of this. _I'm _the one that joined you and betrayed you. Punish _me_, not my sister."

"It's more painful if you love someone you love rather than yourself!" Leopardpaw hissed.

"I already lost my grandfather, my mother, and my other sister," Stonepaw hissed back. "You think I don't know how painful it is?"

"How did Mistypaw die?" Willowfur asked curiously.

"Mistypaw..." Stonepaw trailed off. He didn't exactly want to mention that an old, insane medicine cat had killed her. "That's none of your concern," Stonepaw snapped.

"I'm making it our concern," Willowfur snapped back. "If you can't be nice to us then we won't be nice to you," she added.

"It comes down between you and your sister. If you want us to pick you and leave your sister alone, then you'd better act like it," Amberstripe put in.

Stonepaw sighed. "It was a stupid way to die. She fell in a river and caught greencough." _I don't have to mention anything about Goosefeather..._

"It's hard to believe she's Oakheart's daughter," Willowfur teased him. "Falling into a river is certainly a stupid thing to do. She's definitely not a RiverClan cat."

"She's a member of StarClan now," Stonepaw hissed.

"Of course she is," Leopardpaw snapped. "Why couldn't Fleckedpaw be? You couldn't kill her; you only blinded her!"

"I'm not a killer anymore!" Stonepaw exclaimed. "What I did was wrong. Joining you was wrong. I made a mistake by ever agreeing to work with Thistleclaw, and now it's going to cost me. I'd rather it cost me my life than my sister's life," Stonepaw added.

Amberstripe sighed. "We'd better leave before I change my mind."

"What?" Willowfur and Leopardpaw asked.

"Come on, Stonepaw, we're going to Sunningrocks," Amberstripe growled. "Keep up."

_Thank you, StarClan,_ Stonepaw couldn't help but think as he started to follow after the RiverClan cats. He paused for one moment to look back at his sister one last time. Mosspaw had fallen unconscious again.

_Please help her, StarClan. Please let her stand again,_ he begged.

The amount of blood coming out of Mosspaw's head injury had started to die down, but that didn't change the fact that Mosspaw was injured.

_Whatever happens, Mosspaw... I just hope you'll forgive me..._

* * *

"Well, as you can tell, stupid ThunderClan apprentice, we're here," Amberstripe meowed.

"I know," Stonepaw muttered.

"Amberstripe, why are we here?" Leopardpaw asked.

"This wasn't part of the plan," Willowfur meowed confusedly.

Amberstripe remained silent. She continued glaring at Stonepaw.

"What are you going to do to me?" Stonepaw asked.

Silence.

_Oh..._

"What do you want me to do?" Stonepaw rephrased his question.

"Make up for the pain you have caused Fleckedpaw," Amberstripe replied coldly. "She can never be a warrior now. She'll have to become an elder."

"What? She's too young!" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"Exactly!" Leopardpaw hissed. "This is your fault, Stonepaw!"

"Now pay for what you have done!" Willowfur snarled.

"How?" Stonepaw snapped at her. He turned to Amberstripe. "What do you want me to do to make up for this? What do I need to do to save Mosspaw's life?"

"It's quite simple, actually," Amberstripe meowed after thinking for a moment.

"It's simple?" Stonepaw exclaimed.

"What? How can it be simple?" Willowfur asked.

"After all he's done?" Fleckedpaw exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Fleckedpaw, Willowfur, you're going to like what I've thought of," Amberstripe meowed evenly.

"What is it?" Willowfur asked curiously.

"What are you going to get him to do?" Fleckedpaw asked.

Stonepaw stared at Amberstripe. Amberstripe turned to stare back at him. Her whiskers twitched. She wasn't going to say anything until he did.

"If it's so simple, then tell me already; what is it you want me to do?" Stonepaw asked.

"All you have to do," Amberstripe meowed, "is throw yourself off the edge of the gorge and I'll be satisfied."

* * *

**Icy: And there we have it. That's the end of the chapter.**

**Wingpaw: What? No! Please, Icy, stop with the cliffhangers...**

**Icy: Nope.**

**Flarepaw: Please?**

**Icy: Nope. **

**Mistypaw: So next chapter... are we going to see next chapter before your two week hiatus?**

**Icy: Honestly, probably not.**

**Mistypaw: Aww...**

**Icy: Alright, well, I don't want this AN to get too long, plus I've got other stuff I've got to do today, so I'm going to go ahead and cut this off. Sorry this chapter, along with last chapter, was so short. See you next time!**

**~Icy and the crew**


	43. Chapter 41: Waiting to Be Chosen to Die

**Icy: Hello, world! I'm happy to announce that our hiatus has ended!**

**Wingpaw: Icy, you said it'd be a two week hiatus!**

**Flarepaw: Why did it end up being three weeks?**

**Icy: Well... you know what? Life. Aside from band camp for the first two weeks and rehearsals last week, Pikmin 3 came out, plus I'm still enjoying Animal Crossing New leaf, not to mention that I've been hanging out with friends while I can. I've only got one week left until school starts, so... yeah...**

**Mistypaw: Enough of that, we don't care. Let's get on with the chapter!**

**Icy: Hey!**

**Mistypaw: Come on, you know I'm excited! I've been waiting three weeks for this!**

**Wingpaw: What is "this" exactly?**

**Flarepaw: This chapter is in her POV.**

**Wingpaw: Oh!**

**Icy: Okay, okay, I get it, I get it. Come on... We'll start the chapter if you can sit calmly.**

**Mistypaw: Yes, Icy...**

* * *

**Chapter Forty One**

**Waiting to Be Chosen to Die**

* * *

Two gray cats were arguing at the gorge. One of them had other cats there to support them, the other had did not. The other cat, the second cat, had almost no hope of getting out of this without some sort of consequences. The second cat was trying to bargain his way out of death, but with his sister's life on the line, there was only so much he could do. This second cat was all alone.

More importantly than anything else, this second cat was her brother.

_He's down there all alone and there's nothing I can do to help. All I can do is wait..._

"Mistypaw, I know this is hard for you, but you have to understand that we cannot interfere."

Mistypaw lifted her gaze from the starlit pool. She turned to see a blue-gray she-cat. This she-cat was her mother. Her mother was trying to comfort her. Normally, Mistypaw would have been thankful that her mother was with her after all the time she had spent in StarClan alone without any family, but the current situation was far from normal.

"Of course I understand that we can't interfere. What I don't understand is why you won't leave me alone," Mistypaw growled to the cat she had once looked up to.

"Mistypaw..." Bluefur began, but Mistypaw turned her head, signaling that she wasn't listening. She wouldn't hear any of it.

"You betrayed me," Mistypaw meowed coldly, keeping her eyes away from her mother. "You betrayed all of us..."

Mistypaw was extremely displeased with her mother. Bluefur was a curious cat; according to Snowfur, she always had been. Bluefur kept visiting the starlit pool, but Mistypaw didn't think she had permission to. Mistypaw had tried to send her away, but Bluefur had ignored her every time.

_I hope Snowfur comes to fix this soon..._ Mistypaw inwardly groaned.

Getting too close to the StarTower wasn't the only reason Mistypaw was displeased with her mother. Mistypaw's word were true; Bluefur had betrayed her. Not only had Bluefur betrayed her, she had also betrayed her brother and sister. Even more so, Bluefur had betrayed her entire Clan. Oakheart was the father of her kits; a RiverClan tom was the father of Bluefur's kits. Mistypaw twitched her ears. Bluefur had betrayed ThunderClan by being mates with a RiverClan tom, but that wasn't the only Clan she had betrayed. She had betrayed StarClan by having kits, keeping her from being deputy. Instead, Thistleclaw became deputy, leading ThunderClan into a time of darkness. Bluefur should have finished him off, but instead she was killed by him in her own camp. Mistypaw had honestly felt like Bluefur had it coming.

"I know I betrayed the prophecy, but I tried to come back to it!" Bluefur exclaimed. "I tried to make up for my mistakes!"

"You were too late!" Mistypaw exclaimed back, turning around to glare at her mother. "Instead of saving ThunderClan, you jumped into an impossible situation at the last minute, causing ThunderClan to lose a warrior! You've betrayed ThunderClan and StarClan! I don't know why I should trust you! It's an embarrassment to call you my mother... I wish you weren't my mother!"

Bluefur froze. "Mistypaw, don't say that... you don't mean it..."

"I'm pretty sure I do," Mistypaw snarled. "Everything that has happened has been your fault. It's your fault that I died. You left the prophecy. My death was supposed to bring you back to it, but it didn't. My death was useless. I should be down there, saving Stonepaw and Mosspaw! Everything that has happened is your fault and everything that is going to happen is your fault!"

Bluefur was speechless.

"It's your fault that I died! It's your fault that another one of your kits is going to be joining us today!" Mistypaw added.

"It's a curse of StarClan," Bluefur whispered. "I betrayed them, so they betrayed me, leaving my kits to fates worse than mine... Like you," Bluefur added. "Like your death."

"My death wasn't completely your fault," Mistypaw admitted softly. "I was curious, perhaps too curious. Something I definitely got from you. I was too curious about the other Clans, but then I was too curious about Oakheart. Instead of running away, I stayed, trying to learn more about what he was saying. This was right after that stunt you pulled, calling it a game, when really it was just you covering your tail," Mistypaw added. "Of course I had my doubts. I didn't want to believe what he said, but it seemed so real..."

"Mistypaw..."

"You should have just told us," Mistypaw meowed slowly.

"Told you what?" Bluefur asked.

"You should have just told us from the very beginning. The truth about who our father was. Even more so, you shouldn't have tried to cover it up by calling it a game. When the truth was revealed, you should have let it be revealed. You shouldn't have continued to lie to us," Mistypaw added.

"You wouldn't have understood it," Bluefur meowed.

Mistypaw twitched her tail-tip but said nothing.

"You were too young to understand," Bluefur added.

"I barely understand it now," Mistypaw retorted.

Both of the blue-gray she-cats looked back at the starlit pool, gazing into the reflection of the gorge.

"I'm still not happy with you about the things you did," Mistypaw meowed.

"I never asked for your approval," Bluefur meowed.

"I'm still not pleased with you, but I do forgive you," Mistypaw meowed after a moment's hesitation.

"You-you do?" Bluefur stammered.

"Even though you betrayed us, you tried to make up for it. After all, you did sacrifice yourself during the battle. It wasn't a very smart thing to do, but it was a brave thing. Looking at it from your perspective, I guess I can understand it. The point is, I forgive you," Mistypaw meowed. "I'm still not completely okay with it, but I don't want to be angry with you anymore. You're my mother, for StarClan's sake; it's not right for me to be angry with you for so long."

"What about Oakheart?" Bluefur asked. "Are you suddenly going to get along with him?"

"The only role Oakheart played in my life was almost ending it; he may be my biological father, but he did not raise me. Thrushpelt is my father; at least, he's the one that counts," Mistypaw added softly.

"Mistypaw... thank you. Thank you for forgiving me," Bluefur meowed.

"Hey, what are daughters for?" Mistypaw meowed sarcastically, exchanging a glance of amusement with her mother. She looked back down at the starlit pool.

"It's almost time," Bluefur observed.

Mistypaw sighed. "I guess I'd better be on my way, then."

"You know what to do, right?" Bluefur asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, Bluefur; I've been here longer than you, remember? I know what I'm doing," Mistypaw added.

Bluefur sighed. "Okay, then. If you say so, then I believe you. I'm your mother, though; I'll always worry about you."

Mistypaw nodded. "Goodbye, Bluefur. I have a feeling I'll see you again soon."

"Bring my kit back safely," Bluefur begged.

"I promise I will," Mistypaw replied. She turned around. She began climbing down the rocks that led her to the starlit pool.

_I'm so sorry that the only thing I can do to help you is bring you to StarClan safely,_ Mistypaw thought. _I wish I could save you, but I can't. I'm so sorry, but you're going to die today,_ Mistypaw couldn't help but think to her sibling.

* * *

Bluefur watched as her blue-gray daughter padded away.

"It's hard to see her go, isn't it?"

Bluefur jumped. "Snowfur, you scared me!" she exclaimed to her white-furred sister.

"It's nice to see you, too," Snowfur retorted.

Bluefur sighed. "Sorry, Snowfur. It's just a difficult time, I guess."

"It's about to get even more difficult," Snowfur commented.

"Tell me about it," Bluefur retorted.

"You can't keep doing this," Snowfur meowed.

"Keep doing what?" Bluefur asked.

"Coming and visiting Mistypaw. You know that she has been chosen as a watcher of the StarTower. Bluefur... you have not been chosen. You can visit Mistypaw, but no so close to here. She's not comfortable with you being so close to the StarTower or the starlit pool, and neither am I. I'm not asking you to leave here as your sister, I'm watching as a watcher of the StarTower. You have not been chosen, Bluefur. StarClan already tried giving you a responsibility, but you failed it. Did you honestly expect them to try again?" Snowfur added.

Bluefur stared at the ground. "I guess I did a little bit... I thought that what I did during the battle would have been enough..."

"If you were leader of ThunderClan, would you want your deputy to disappear for a few moons and then come back during an important battle expecting to take charge of the battle?" Snowfur asked.

Bluefur closed her eyes. "No, I wouldn't."

"Do you see where I'm going with this?" Snowfur asked.

Bluefur opened her eyes. "I do," she replied.

"I'm sorry, Bluefur. You're my sister; I love you, I really do, but I cannot continue to allow you to come so close to the StarTower. Your time as the blue flame, as barely existent as it was, is over. Now it is time for your kits to complete their destinies; at least, what you have left for them, that is," Snowfur added.

"My kits are dying and it's my fault..." Bluefur whimpered.

"Every choice you make has consequences," Snowfur meowed. "It would have been simpler for them if you had done what StarClan had asked you to do."

"But how could I have given them up to Oakheart?" Bluefur exclaimed. "Would you have wanted a RiverClan queen raising Whitestorm?"

"Of course not," Snowfur meowed, "but there are things we must do for the greater good."

Bluefur sighed. "You're right; I'm not cut out to be a watcher of the StarTower. What was I thinking? I'm sorry, Snowfur."

"Bluefur, I forgive you, you know. I don't blame you for my death," Snowfur added. "I was wrong to pick Thistleclaw as my mate, but at the time I really did love him, I promise. I was happy with him. I did not know of his evil intentions. Had I known, then I would not have chosen him as my mate. You're not the only one who feels guilty, you know. Had I not been so desperate to get out of camp, then there would still be someone to keep Thistleclaw from turning evil. Had his mate not died, then he might not have turned as evil as he had..." Snowfur trailed off, shaking her head.

"Snowfur, this isn't your fault," Bluefur soothed her.

"I'm going to fix this," Snowfur meowed. "We're going to fix this."

"No we aren't," Bluefur meowed. She glanced at the starlit pool. The reflection changed from the gorge to the clearing in which a gray-and-white she-cat was trying to force herself to recover from a head injury. "We aren't going to fix this. Now there's only one cat who can."

"The prophecy has chosen its victim," Snowfur meowed. "It's up to us to guide said victim through this."

"StarClan can guide my kit as much as they want, but only time and action can show us whether my kit will succeed or not," Bluefur meowed.

"Only time will tell," Snowfur agreed. "Not just for their sake, but for the sake of all of the Clans, I really do hope that this time, the flame puts out the evil."

"___Kin of the blue flame will form an even stronger flame, which will destroy the claws of blood once and for all__," _Bluefur meowed.

* * *

**Icy:**** And there the chapter ends. This chapter was decently longer than the last couple, so hopefully it makes up for the long wait.**

**Wingpaw: Does this mean we're back?**

**Flarepaw: On a full scale?**

**Icy: Well, not necessarily... Once school starts, updates will be much less frequent... but considering there's less than ten chapters left, I think we should safely be able to finish this story before Christmas.**

**Mistypaw: Christmas?! But that's in December!**

**Icy: Like I said, safely. I'm sure it'll be finished long before then. It'll probably be finished before Halloween, maybe even Labor Day. Anyways, the most important thing is that we're back! Yay!**

**Wingpaw: And this time it only took three weeks!**

**Icy: Hey, I warned you about two of those weeks.**

**Flarepaw: And the third week?**

**Icy: Heh... not so much.**

**Mistypaw: (glare)**

**Icy: Okay, so... next chapter is going to be really ****really**** sad, even by my standards. So, obviously someone is going to die next chapter. But who is it going to be? Stonepaw or Mosspaw? Honestly, there have been clues throughout the story that already tell you who is going to live and who is going to die, but hey, next chapter should be enjoyable nonetheless. It's going to be really sad, but this is a fanfic by Icethroat21, so don't be surprised. See you next chapter! Look forward to it!**

**~Icy and the crew**


End file.
